Ocean 14 Capital to invest in 20 to 25 aquaculture, fishing firms committed to UN SDGs

Ocean 14 Capital Limited, the investment adviser to Ocean 14 Capital Fund 1 SCSP, a private equity impact investment fund founded in 2019 in London, U.K., has announced it intends to build a portfolio of 20 to 25 holdings “that offer both environmental benefits for oceans and competitive financial gains for investors.”

Ocean 14 Capital is a partnership between the founders of Pontos Aqua, the Blue Marine Foundation, and Vedra Partners, and its advisors include scientists, marine biologists, and impact investors. The fund will invest in companies that are working to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. Its investments will focus on companies working in five fields: sustainable aquaculture; sustainable fisheries; alternatives to fish protein; seaweed; and circular plastics.

“We are looking forward to partner with great start-ups and growth phase companies focusing on our five investment verticals,” Ocean 14 Capital Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer Francisco Saraiva Gomes said. “Our focus will be on companies that are at the beginning of their growth phase and that, having established a minimum robustness and proof of concept, can benefit from our flexible equity, access, and knowledge to greatly accelerate their growth and positive impact.”

Saraiva Gomes said the firm’s mission is “to invest in new technologies and ocean-related industries that are responding to changing consumer behavior, value chain pressure, and contribute towards SDG14, which at 3.5 percent, attracts the lowest joint share of investment.”

The fund has already closed one deal, along with the European Investment Fund, Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, Minderoo Foundation, and The Rising Tides Fund by Builders Vision, and it is aiming for 20 to 25 holdings in total.

“The active pipeline is diversified across the sectors, global in nature, although currently weighted towards Europe,” he said. “Two-thirds of the active opportunities are classified as growth and the remainder as late-stage venture investments, all of which are selected not only to aim to capture high returns, improve ocean health, and ensure sustainable food sources, but also provide scalable climate mitigation tools.”

Ocean 14 Capital Limited said it sees great potential in the so-called “Blue Economy,” which is said is expected to expand at twice the rate of the mainstream economy by 2030.

“It currently represents 80 million tons of food production but could provide five times more food than it does today, as well as two thirds of the animal protein required to feed the global population by 2050,” it said. “Aquaculture production is expected to reach 109 million tonnes by 2030, an increase of 32 percent over 2018, while aquaculture feed is expected to reach USD 82 billion [EUR 74 billion] by 2028.”

Photo courtesy of Ocean 14 Capital