BlueInvest Platform: Accelerating the European blue economy
Enriched Impact Investor · Found: 2026-03-11 08:12
BlueInvest is an EU platform and technical assistance facility to accelerate ocean-based technologies and solutions to unlock innovation and related investment ...
Funding Details
- Funder
- European Commission / CINEA (BlueInvest Platform)
- Funding Goal
- Accelerate innovation and private investment in the sustainable blue economy by providing technical assistance, coaching, matchmaking, and capacity building to maritime startups and SMEs across Europe.
- Funding Amount
- Platform budget: €9.8 million total (EU contribution 100%). No direct grants to applicants — facilitates access to private investment. Supported companies have collectively raised €300M+ in investments.
- How to Apply
- Apply through the BlueInvest platform community portal. Startups and SMEs can join the project pipeline database and apply for coaching/mentoring programs as they are announced. Matchmaking events and investor connections are arranged through the platform on an ongoing basis.
- Target Region
- European Union — with sea-basin specific focus including Baltic Sea and Black Sea
- Contact
- Contact via CINEA: https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/contact-0_en | Platform website: https://blueinvest-community.converve.io/ | Programme Director: Catherine Frideres
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-11 16:54
Application Checklist
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Project Scope
Required Documents
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Summary
BlueInvest is an EU platform and technical assistance facility launched in 2019 by DG MARE under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), managed by CINEA. With a total budget of €9.8 million, the platform is not a direct grant program but rather an investment-readiness accelerator that connects blue economy innovators with private capital and institutional investors. The platform serves maritime startups and SMEs working across traditional blue economy sectors (fisheries, aquaculture, transport, coastal tourism) as well as emerging areas such as ocean renewable energy, blue biotechnology, and desalination. It offers coaching and mentoring, a project pipeline database connecting companies with investors, matchmaking events, and capacity building for financial intermediaries and fund managers. Since its 2019 launch, BlueInvest has directly supported over 330 start-ups and scale-ups, helping them collectively secure more than €300 million in private investments. The platform takes a sea-basin-specific approach, with dedicated activities for the Baltic and Black Sea regions, collaborating with local stakeholders to promote innovation and regional investment opportunities. BlueInvest links closely with other EU funding instruments, particularly EMFAF, and is coordinated by PricewaterhouseCoopers EU Services EESV with partners including CARSA (Spain), Euroquity/Bpifrance (France), and Fórum Oceano (Portugal). It operates as a hub rather than a funder, bridging the gap between innovative maritime ventures and the private capital needed to scale them.
Historical Context
BlueInvest was established in 2019 with €9.8 million budget. As of late 2024, it has supported 330+ startups/scale-ups and facilitated €300M+ in investment. BlueInvest Day 2024 was held (featured on Euronews Ocean series November 2024). The platform was featured by DG MARE Director General Charlina Vitcheva at the 2024 awards ceremony. Originally enabled under EMFF, now continues under EMFAF (2021–2027).
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