2022 Impact Report

Impact – It is a critical part of SeaAhead’s mission.

Yet measuring it, especially in the young sector of ocean innovation, poses a great challenge. Unlike pure climatetech, the bluetech startup and investment community lacks a single metric that can encapsulate and clearly communicate its progress and potential. You can’t easily compare a company addressing single-use plastics to one that reduces fisheries bycatch. We require an easy way to track and report impact so that we can draw a wider audience to scale the ocean venture ecosystem.

In 2021-2022, SeaAhead joined the working group of the 1000 Ocean Startups Coalition and, with support from SYSTEMIQ, sought to tackle this challenge. The result of the six-month collaboration is the Ocean Impact Navigator, a harmonized impact KPI framework.

The Ocean Impact Navigator coalesces around 30 priority KPIs within six categories: sustainability, managed ocean resources, a clean ocean, thriving and restored marine habitats, resilient coastal communities, and positive socio-economic outcomes. The framework is currently open for feedback as it moves into the implementation phase.

The ocean is a complex space. While not perfect, the Ocean Impact Navigator brings us closer to the ideal, making it easier for startups to communicate with diverse stakeholders and investors.

Because if you want to improve something, you are going to need to measure it.