THE OCEAN IMPACT PITCHFEST IS BACK
Press release for immediate distribution
Sydney, 16 August 2023
El Niño Alert Amplifies Urgency as Australia Champions Ocean Innovation
Startups from Around the World Strive for Global Ocean Health Transformation
Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO) has today launched The Ocean Impact Pitchfest 2023 to discover, celebrate and support innovative startups and businesses working to improve ocean health.
“The planet stands at a critical juncture, ‘global boiling’ is upon us as illustrated by ocean temperatures being broken across the globe. With a 70% likelihood of an El Niño event in summer 2023 placing more ecosystems at risk, Australia must rise to the challenge and ensure we’re actively supporting scalable solutions to protect and enhance the health of Planet Ocean. The Ocean Impact Pitchfest 2023 is one of the ways OIO is celebrating and rewarding leading ‘oceanpreneurs’” said Nick Chiarelli, CEO and Co-founder of Ocean Impact Organisation.
For the first time in 2023, The Ocean Impact Pitchfest is recognised by the recently formed 1000 Ocean Startups (1000OS) as a member initiative. 1000OS is a global coalition of impact investors, incubators, and accelerators launched in 2021 with the support of Sir Richard Branson. The coalition is rapidly building momentum to meet its objective of accelerating 1000 ocean startups by 2030.
The announcement of Pitchfest 2023 comes as six ground-breaking startups progress through OIO’s flagship Ocean Impact Accelerator Program (OIAP), gaining stronger traction in Australian and International markets.
“It’s uplifting that even as media reports and scientific papers continue to highlight the deteriorating health of the ocean, there’s a strong undercurrent of innovative solutions rising to meet the challenge,”
said Chiarelli, adding, “OIO is an Australian organisation, but we are extremely proud of our global reach and impact. To date, over 900 startups and entrepreneurs have applied to our programs from 65 countries”.
The Ocean Impact Pitchfest 2023 will celebrate 10 startups as Finalists whilst providing $100k in prize money and a major boost in exposure for their solution to the world.
Supporters of the initiative in 2023 include Star of the South, Australia’s most advanced offshore wind project, sponsoring the Climate Spotlight Award; Zip Water, home to the world’s most advanced drinking water appliances, sponsoring the Plastic Pollution Spotlight Award; Dicker Data, the Australian owned, operated and ASX-listed technology hardware, software and cloud distributor sponsoring the Ocean Monitoring Spotlight Award, and; Auxilium Foundation, founded by environmental philanthropist John Preston sponsoring the Sustainable Harvesting Spotlight Award.
Pitchfest 2023 opens for applications on 16 August 2023 and closes on 20 September, culminating in the INNOVOCEAN showcase on 22 November 2023 at the Australian Maritime Museum, where the winners will be announced live.
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For press enquiries please contact:
Tim Silverwood
Head of Marketing and Community
info@ocean-impact.org
Press Kit & Assets
Pitchfest 2023 Press Kit
About OIO
Founded in February 2020 by visionaries Nick Chiarelli and Tim Silverwood, Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO) has emerged as Australia's leading ocean impact ecosystem and startup accelerator, dedicated to enhancing the health of the world's oceans. Headquartered in Sydney, OIO curates comprehensive innovation programs designed to help people start, grow, and invest in businesses that positively impact ocean health.
