Ocean Exchange is not a traditional accelerator built around awards—it is far more than that. Ocean Exchange has created a blue tech ecosystem—an interconnected network of proven experts in startup commercialization—and supports candidates and winners of its awards throughout the process of bringing new ideas to market. As Millicent Pitts, Ocean Exchange CEO, puts it, “The Ocean Exchange community, our processes and outcomes don’t predict the future, it collectively helps shape the future.”
Neptune Award Finalists
As an exclusive media partner, environment coastal & offshore (eco) magazine covered the pitches by fifteen candidates who competed for 2 Neptune Awards and 1 Ocean Enterprise Award. The 15 candidates included: ABALOBI, Algae Scope, Aloft, Bio Clean Carbon, Bluenose, Ceal Minerals, Cecilia, Cetera Energy, Dottir Labs, NeuralX, Nucleic Sensing Systems, Orpheus Ocean, Reefgen, SOS Biotech, and Sunfish. 9 are from the USA, 3 from Europe, 1 from Africa, 1 from the Middle East, and 1 from the Caribbean. Solutions fall into the following categories: ocean intelligence, ecosystem services/conservation, alternative materials, battery materials, vessel fuel/emissions reduction, and water monitoring/treatment.
The winners for each award were chosen based on the impact, level of innovation, and the ability to execute the solution. Delegates representing business, academia, government, and nonprofits cast votes for the winners.
The 2 Neptune Awards were awarded to solutions that judges felt help best advance our understanding of the ocean and minimize any potential impacts on these resources, resulting in more resilient bodies of water, including healthy marine life and coastlines. The winners of the Neptune Awards were Orpheus Ocean—ultra-scalable robots for deep ocean exploration, and Cecilia—an innovation for transforming plastic waste into circular carbon nanomaterials.
Ocean Enterprise Award
The Ocean Enterprise Award, new for 2025, went to a solution that supports ocean observations, delivers improved data and services, and enables the growth of a sustainable Blue Economy and healthy oceans. This year’s winner was NeuralIX—an AI platform that turns underwater video into fish health and growth insights.
Collegiate Finalists
Additionally, Ocean Exchange also hosted a collegiate competition during the 3-day event, with finalists competing for 3 awards of $10,000. The eight finalists included
Bioluminescence from Cape Cod Community College/WHOI; HBS Lab UTD from the
University of Texas Dallas; Ignition Packaging from the University of Florida; MADEIN
U.S.T.A. LLC from Georgia Southern University; OctaPulse from Carnegie Mellon
University; SLA Robotics from North Carolina State University; SWPT from the University of Rhode Island; and Iluminar El Mar from the University of Central Florida.
The winners were chosen based on the impact, level of innovation, and the ability to execute the presented solution. The three winners were OctaPulse—an AI-powered inspection platform to automate production in early-stage finfish aquaculture, Ignition Packaging—biodegradable and ocean-safe packaging, and Iluminar El Mar—socially and economically sustainable bycatch reduction.
This opinion appeared in environment coastal & offshore (eco) magazine’s 2025 winter edition Fisheries & Aquaculture, to read more access the magazine here.
