1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20004 | 202.966.6610

Each year, the Ocean Exchange seeks innovative, proactive and globally scalable sustainable solutions that reduce waste and the use of nature’s resources with working prototypes and applications that can cross industries, economies and cultures. This year, 22 experts from around the world reviewed and selected 12 solutions that offer the greatest ability to transform industries, to be considered for one of two non-dilutive grants. Delegates drawn from industry, academia, conservation and government evaluate the solutions.

“Serving as a delegate is an honor and unique opportunity to meet with some very impressive innovators and solution providers. As always, the concepts were innovative and the presentations were polished and professional,” stated Kelly Carnes, President and CEO of TechVision21 and long-time delegate to the Ocean Exchange and Panelist for the Big Pitch Collegiate Competition.

The Ocean Exchange makes two awards, the  Orcelle and the Ocean Exchange Neptune Award, with the following objectives:

The WWL Orcelle® Award is given to the solution that makes shipping and logistics more sustainable by advancing zero-emission, marine and/or land based technologies that are commercially viable.

The Neptune Award is given to the solution that advances our understanding of the ocean and that helps minimize our impact on these resources, even while using them for human benefit, resulting in more resilient bodies of water including healthy marine life and coastlines.

Congratulations to this year’s winners: Atlas Energy Systems and Wing Trawling System.

The Ocean Exchange also sponsors the Big Pitch Collegiate competition, awarding $10,000 to undergraduate or graduate solutions developed to improve economies, health, and the environment. This year’s winner is Pipeguard Robotics, a team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who developed a solution to inspect water pipes from the inside using innovations in sensor membranes and the soft body drone to find leaks long before they become catastrophic, with the objective to reduce the 20% of clean water production daily lost to leaks.

TechVision21 is honored to support the Ocean Exchange, by serving as delegates and Panelist for the Big Pitch Collegiate Competition, and by hosting the Sustainability Symposium in Washington, D.C.

Related Article