The Ocean Startup Project has awarded $350,000 in funding to 15 Canadian startups in its fifth Ocean Startup Challenge, a national competition that supports early-stage oceantech ventures.

The winning companies, drawn from across the country, will each receive non-dilutive funding along with specialized support to help advance the development of their products. The 2025 cohort is tackling challenges in areas including decarbonized marine transportation, renewable energy, sustainable materials, and marine safety.

More than one-third of the companies are from Atlantic Canada. 

“Every year, we see the strength and creativity of Canadian ocean entrepreneurs grow,” said Paula Mendonça, Executive Director of the Ocean Startup Project. “This cohort of 15 companies showcases the breadth of talent across the country, and through the Challenge, we are connecting them with the support, expertise, and networks they need to succeed on a global scale.”

These are the startups selected for the fifth cohort:

• Alaagi (Nova Scotia): Developing a food-safe, seaweed-based bioplastic film that is compostable, heat- and vacuum-sealable, and engineered for cold-chain seafood and meat packaging.
• Atalanta Climate (British Columbia): Creating compact, fully electric carbon capture systems that use ocean-derived materials to cut energy requirements by up to 90 percent compared with conventional direct air capture.
• atlantiq AI (Newfoundland and Labrador): Building on-premise AI agents that integrate into CAD software, helping ship design teams reduce time on manual quality assurance and information-gathering by up to tenfold.
• CM Marine Safety Equipment (Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island): Designing a life jacket tailored to the needs of commercial fishers, aimed at reducing drowning fatalities at sea.
• DeFort Bio (Nova Scotia): Developing biodegradable lobster band alternatives to replace environmentally harmful rubber bands.
• Equlantic Aquatic Monitoring (Nova Scotia): Combining an automatic water-sampling device with a sensor integration system to deliver lower-cost, higher-coverage water quality monitoring.
• FieldComplex (Quebec): Building a scalable, real-time underwater communication system that combines advanced modems with intelligent software to deliver secure, long-range data transmission – an “underwater Wi-Fi.”
• FinShield (Ontario): Creating an AI-powered platform that integrates AIS and open-source intelligence to give NGOs and maritime authorities rapid insight into illegal finning.
• FlowMotion Hydrokinetic (Ontario): Developing helical screw turbine systems to generate clean, predictable energy from tidal and river currents.
• Flux Lines (Quebec): Designing battery barges that provide clean electricity to ships at berth or anchor, offering a scalable alternative to traditional shore power.
• Mostar Labs (British Columbia): Creating LILYPAD, a modular floating charging platform for electric vessels, with advanced battery storage and smart management systems for coastal and nearshore environments.
• RETSSOP (Nova Scotia): Developing an oil spill response solution that combines advanced imaging with high-performance absorbents capable of recovering more than 80 percent of spilled oil.
• SeaFoam (British Columbia/Ontario): Producing regenerative building insulation made from seaweed and upcycled waste to help create carbon-negative homes.
• Subvision Robotics (British Columbia): Building ZIMA, an autonomous UVC subsea rover that prevents ship-hull biofouling, reducing fuel costs and eliminating toxic cleaning methods.
• Technologies Seanetik (Quebec): Creating robotic solutions for submerged hull cleaning as part of efforts to decarbonize maritime transport.

Launched in 2020, the Ocean Startup Challenge has supported more than 90 ocean-focused startups across Canada.

In addition to funding, participants in the program receive direct support from an executive-in-residence, access to mentors with expertise across multiple fields, curated exposure to market opportunities, and in-kind services.