Ocean tech: too early or mis-funded?
The hosts:
Jerome Ternynck, Rypples
James Lindsay, Builders Vision
What is this Ripple about?
Ocean tech has been on the periphery of climate investing for years despite its massive potential. This Ripple debates whether that's a timing problem, a capital problem, or both.
Why this topic timely or urgent in 2026
We are deploying capital into energy, food, and nature systems that only make sense if planetary boundaries hold, yet ocean ecosystems, one of the biggest buffers we have, remain chronically underfunded. As biodiversity loss and carbon sink degradation accelerate, the gap between what the science demands and where capital is flowing is starting to look less like caution and more like a mis-pricing we can't afford.
Key questions or challenges being explored
Is ocean tech genuinely too early for venture, or have we just been measuring it with the wrong metrics?
Where is the real bottleneck, technology readiness, patient capital, or investor familiarity?
Which ocean tech sub-sectors are closest to breakout, and what would it take to get there?
The main tension or debate at the heart of this discussion
Capital efficiency vs. planetary necessity, ocean tech moves too slowly and requires too much patient capital for traditional venture, yet the cost of continued underinvestment may far exceed the cost of getting in early and being wrong.
Who would get the most value from attending this Ripple?
Climate and deep tech investors who are ocean-curious but haven't yet made a bet, and investors already active in adjacent verticals, food systems, nature-based solutions, energy, and maritime infrastructure, who may be underestimating their indirect ocean exposure. Ideally attendees have some familiarity with nature or hard tech investing; this isn't an intro session, it's a debate for people ready to take a position.