CREST 2025: Hatch Blue launches global call for high-impact startups in aquaculture and sustainable blue economy
Hatch Blue is seeking high-impact early-stage companies, startups or scale ups to join the CREST acceleration program and unlock the next wave of innovation in aquaculture and sustainable blue economy.
Hatch Blue launches a new call for CREST, its next-generation acceleration program for aquaculture, blue carbon, and marine biotechnology startups, starting in July 2025. Applications are now open and continuously reviewed until the cohort is filled.
After six successful editions, CREST establishes itself as a global platform for companies seeking to scale sustainable and disruptive technologies in the marine world. By 2025, the program will include face-to-face visits to Norway, Hawaii, Singapore, and Vietnam, with direct access to farms, research centers, and key industry executives.
Who can apply?
CREST is looking for startups with at least 12 months of financial sustainability, active founders and technologies applicable to multiple species or sectors. Projects using antibiotics or unsustainable practices are not considered.
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To apply, you must enter https://www.hatch.blue/crest-accelerator. In addition, it is necessary for entrepreneurs to be able to communicate in English to submit their application and interact with the Hatch Blue team.
What does CREST offer to the selected startups?
In addition to direct connections with investors, advisors, and global strategic allies, the participating startups will co-create a series of critical assets for their growth:
- Market evaluation for their first product conducted by Hatch Innovation Services
- Intellectual property strategy, which includes a freedom to operate study and a patent landscape analysis carried out by Hatch Innovation Services.
- Marketing and branding strategy, including the corporate identity work carried out by the marketing agency expert in the sector, The Fish Site.
- Life cycle analysis to assess the sustainability of your product, conducted by a third party.
Hatch Blue will invest USD 75,000 in each startup, of which USD 65,000 will be used to finance these personalized services and USD 10,000 to cover travel costs.
With a global community of over 135 accelerated startups, Hatch Blue offers a proven environment of support, collaboration, and international projection. As Caitlin Wege, CEO of Knip (USA), a CREST alumni, states: "The program was a transformative experience, with direct access to the industry's challenges and opportunities in real time".
Hatch Blue is a catalyst company for aquaculture and the blue economy, with a mission to accelerate innovation through venture capital investment, entrepreneurship support programs, consulting, and high-quality news, analysis, and resources.
Hatch Blue has offices in Berlin, Ireland, Norway, Singapore, and the U.S., and its multinational team is committed to making aquaculture and global food production more sustainable.