AltaSea Combines Local Action with a Global Reach
In June, Jenny Krusoe, Executive VP/COO and a Founder of AltaSea, and Jade Clemons, Director of Economic and Workforce Development, will represent AltaSea at the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France.
Jenny and Jade will also be attending the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco.
At both of these conferences, global stakeholders will work together to accelerate the blue economy—united by the understanding that by establishing a sustainable relationship between humanity and the oceans, we can solve climate change, restore ocean health, and benefit people worldwide.
At these influential international meetings, Jenny and Jade will contribute AltaSea’s expertise as the world’s largest blue economy innovation center. They will share the strategic knowledge needed to implement the AltaSea model in ports around the globe—a reliable way to scale the blue economy within the timeframe necessary to address the climate crisis.
AltaSea has proven itself to be a hub for scientists working on issues of global consequence and innovators creating scalable ocean-based solutions.
Here are month-by-month highlights of our most impactful accomplishments so far this year:
JANUARY:
Dr. Gaurav Sant, the founder of AltaSea tenant business Equatic, is included in TIME Magazine’s TIME100 Climate list of top climate leaders in business.
- Dr. Sant, who is the director of UCLA’s Institute for Carbon Management, was named one of the world’s most influential climate innovators of 2024 because his startup Equatic is building North America’s first commercial-scale ocean-based carbon removal facility.
- On the AltaSea campus, Equatic is test-driving scalable technology that traps and stores carbon by running an electrical current through captured seawater.
- This past year, Equatic developed breakthroughs that will make commercial scale carbon removal more affordable, and therefore, more implementable. This is important because climate change scenarios show that in order to limit global warming to 1.5C, carbon capture must be utilized on a massive scale.
Braid Theory Launches Three Spring Programs to Accelerate 25 Blue Economy Startups in Ocean, Maritime, and Climate Innovation
These programs are designed to support and accelerate 25 early-stage startups that are developing groundbreaking technologies and solutions.
The selected startups are focused on key sectors critical to global sustainability and economic growth:
Ocean Innovation: Technologies that improve the health, sustainability, and productivity of ocean ecosystems, such as marine biology, ocean sensing, and underwater robotics.
Maritime Technology: Innovations that enhance the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of maritime operations, including shipping, ports, and naval architecture.
Climate Solutions: Climate-resilient technologies and approaches aimed at reducing carbon emissions, mitigating climate change impacts, and promoting clean energy transitions.
Through these programs, Braid Theory provides mentorship, resources, and industry connections, helping startups scale their impact and reach commercialization faster.
February:
Kelp Ark spearheads the preservation of kelp impacted by wildfires, cultivating them on the AltaSea campus for future coastal restoration.
- Following the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles at the beginning of the year, AltaSea tenant Kelp Ark acted quickly to collect kelp specimens off the coast of Malibu and the Pacific Palisades before those ecosystems were damaged by toxic runoff.
- Kelp Ark conducts genetic mapping and kelp cultivation, preserving impacted species and ensuring their longevity. When the time is right, Kelp Ark will replant the cultivated specimens to help the kelp forests recover.
- Kelp Ark’s response can serve as a blueprint for helping coastal ecosystems recover from toxic runoff, ocean heat waves, and other climate change-induced damages.
March:
AltaSea and partners host the Blue Economy Climate Action Pathways (BECAP) Summit.
- The March 2025 summit, focused on advancing workforce development and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, was attended by over three hundred people.
- AltaSea’s Jenny Krusoe and Terry Tamminen were joined onstage by ocean conservation pioneers Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau, Governor Newsom’s cabinet member Josh Fryday, LA City Councilmember Tim McOsker, and many other leaders in education and environment.
- BECAP provides community college students with a career track education plan including climate STEM curriculum, certificates, and job placements in blue economy industries.
- Spearheaded by AltaSea, Santa Monica College, and the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, BECAP plans to reach fifteen community colleges throughout LA and create a model that can be used to create blue economy workforce development programs worldwide.
April:
AltaSea tenant Eco Wave Power, a global leader in onshore wave energy technology, secures the final permit needed to install a pilot project in the Port of LA.
- Eco Wave Power has already implemented its technology in several locations worldwide. This pilot project will be the first installation of onshore wave power in the United States.
- The project, developed in partnership with AltaSea, involves attaching eight wave energy floaters onto an existing concrete wharf. An energy conversion unit, consisting of two 20-foot shipping containers, will be placed on the wharf and connected to the floaters.
- With the conversion unit already on-site at AltaSea, Eco Wave Power will be able to complete installation by the end of the summer.
Since the grand opening of AltaSea’s Center For Innovation in summer 2024, AltaSea has rapidly expanded its impact and developed a powerful global network. As Jenny and Jade help establish AltaSea affiliates in ports worldwide, this impact will only continue to grow. The blue economy is gaining momentum, and we appreciate your support of our work.
If you’ll be attending either the UN Oceans Conference or the Blue Economy and Finance Forum, Jenny and Jade would love to connect. Feel free to reach out to them to coordinate a meeting or introduce yourself in person—email them at jkrusoe@altasea.org & jclemons@altasea.org