OIO ANNOUNCES THREE-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH MINDEROO FOUNDATION

OIO Announces Three-Year Partnership with Minderoo Foundation to Support and Accelerate Ocean Health Startups and Entrepreneurs

Press release for immediate distribution
Sydney, 24 August 2022

Australia’s Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO) has today announced a new three-year partnership with Minderoo Foundation to further the organisation’s mission to: support and accelerate ocean impact businesses.

The partnership will empower OIO to double its previous goal of accelerating 100 ocean impact startups and entrepreneurs in five years, with the organisation now targeting a total of 200 startups and entrepreneurs supported and accelerated by 2027.

Nick Chiarelli, CEO and Co-founder of Ocean Impact Organisation said the partnership announcement was a big day for OIO.

“Since day one we’ve been clear and bold about our big goals to accelerate 100 startups in five years and to help make Australia a global leader in developing transformative solutions to improve ocean health,” Nick Chiarelli said. “With the support of our members and partners we’re making great progress towards our target, but this new partnership with Minderoo Foundation will enable us to not only reach this goal faster, but potentially double it. Minderoo Foundation’s focus on returning oceans to a flourishing state is completely aligned with OIO’s purpose of transforming ocean health through inspiration, innovation, and good business. We’re ecstatic.”

Established by Andrew and Nicola Forrest in 2001, Minderoo Foundation’s mission is to break down barriers, innovate and drive positive, lasting change. As one of Australia's largest philanthropic foundations, Minderoo supports projects across a range of social and environmental issues, including ending overfishing, eliminating the harmful effects of plastic, and ending modern slavery.

Co-founders of Minderoo Foundation: Andrew and Nicola Forrest

Dr Tony Worby, Director of the Planet Portfolio and Flourishing Oceans initiative at Minderoo Foundation described the partnership as an important alliance to accelerate innovative solutions to the ocean’s greatest challenges.

“Australia can and must be a world leader in addressing the global challenges facing the ocean through science, technology, policy and innovation,” Dr Worby said. “At Minderoo Foundation, we understand the pressures facing the ocean and feel the sense of urgency to rapidly develop and deploy solutions that will radically improve ocean health. We look forward to working with the team at OIO to do just that.”

The partnership with OIO compliments ground-breaking projects Minderoo is supporting in ocean health and research, including: the Global Fishing Index that assesses the sustainability of the world’s marine fisheries; Global Plastic Watch that uses digital satellite tools to map the world’s plastic waste and pollution in real time; and the Exmouth Research Lab that provides scientists with state-of-the-art facilities to enable high quality, high-impact marine research on the doorstep of the World Heritage listed Ningaloo Reef.

Minderoo Foundation’s Exmouth Research Laboratory

The partnership with Minderoo Foundation will enable OIO to build its team and increase its capacity to manage stakeholders and deliver its suite of ocean health startup innovation programs. Currently these programs include The Ocean Impact Pitchfest; The Ocean Impact Ideation Program and The Ocean Impact Accelerator Program, with plans to build on these into the future.

“The ocean is certainly vast and is most definitely under immense pressure but with partnerships like this we truly can make a positive impact - and fast,” Mr Chiarelli said.

The Ocean Impact Pitchfest 2022 is now accepting applications until 20 September 2022. Head to the following link for more information and to apply. www.ocean-impact.org/pitchfest2022

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