Accelerating blue biotech innovation: Oceano Azul Foundation supports startups with maze’s growth Programmes and impact advisory
Timeline
2021 - Present
Team & tools
Growth programmes: Rita, Marta, Tomás, Rodrigo, Afonso, Eduardo, Francisca, Maria, Francisco, Henrique, Rita BF, Beatriz, Ieva & Luana Impact Advisory: Rita, Marta, Rodrigo
Geographies covered
Global (Argentina, Canada, Sweden, Norway, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, among others)
Blue Bio Value Growth Programmes
/w=3840,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
Tiago Pitta e Cunha, Chief Executive Officer of the Oceano Azul Foundation, on the Blue Bio Value Final Pitch Day
The challenge
Oceano Azul Foundation and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation needed to strengthen the Blue Bio Value programme’s presence in the market as a leading ocean acceleration programme, ensuring high-quality support for startup founders in marine bio-based projects.
The solution
In 2021, maze was contracted to redesign and implement the Blue Bio Value Acceleration programme alongside BlueBio Alliance. The programme aims to accelerate startups that operate along the value chain of marine bioresources, specifically in the blue biotechnology sector, which offer sustainable services or products that contribute to healthier use of ocean bioresources.
The outcomes
- 1674 scouted and contacted blue bio tech startups to join the programme
- 470 meetings (404 online and 66 in-person)
- 79 expert guests involved in connecting with the startups
- 100% recommendation rate by startups
- 19.4M EUR in capital raised by participating startups
- Improved quality and diversity of applications compared to previous editions
- High feedback scores: 4.37 out of 5 for network access
- Enhanced community engagement with +120 founder alumni since 2018
How this could apply to you
Partnering with maze and leverage from a growth programme like Blue Bio Value can position your organisation at the forefront of innovation in your industry. By supporting and scaling sustainable solutions, you can contribute to a low-carbon society, protect biodiversity, and create economic value.
Testimonials
Blue Bio Value has given our business an incredible boost and changed our direction: with what we now understand about the Portuguese ocean innovation and industrial ecosystem, we are now planning to bring our business there. Tasha Nathanson from 7 Leagues Leather ★★★★★
One of the standout benefits was the extensive network of contacts we gained, opening doors to meaningful connections in the Portuguese business landscape. Luis Fallas from Hemoalgae ★★★★★
The quality of the programme is unbelievably high, and we are in awe of the effort the Blue Bio Value team put into making it tailor-made for our company. Marjanne Cuypers from BlueBlocks ★★★★★
Blue Bio Value Impact Advisory
Founders day at maze impact office
The challenge
The two foundations also laid out an additional challenge: assessing Blue Bio Value's impact on the founders and the ecosystem since its foundation in 2018.
The solution
Maze conducted an extensive impact assessment project, which entailed the mapping and analysis of the most relevant market players to assess how Blue Bio Value differentiates from the market. Additionally, maze collected impressions and feedback from the alumni community to measure the support quality throughout all editions. Finally, maze ran the impact case for each startup alumni to understand the impact’s quality. For the latter, maze followed the Impact Management Project framework.
The outcomes
- 500 ocean-focused market players mapped and analysed
- 49 in-depth interviews with Blue Bio Value startup alumni
- 59 impact cases ran for all the alumni
How this could apply to you
Impact assessments are helpful tools for capturing a snapshot of the impact of a given project, programme, or solution over a defined period of time. With this information, foundations or corporations are better equipped to identify key areas of improvement and make decisions about the future of a specific initiative.
How this could apply to you
Impact assessments are helpful tools for capturing a snapshot of the impact of a given project, programme, or solution over a defined period of time. With this information, foundations or corporations are better equipped to identify key areas of improvement and make decisions about the future of a specific initiative.