A’Pelago Accelerator 2025: Meet our new cohort!

This week marks the second workshop week of the A’Pelago Accelerator program 2025, welcoming a group of ambitious early-stage ventures with interest to drive blue economy impact. Over the next months, these teams will embark on an intensive journey filled with coaching, hands-on guidance, and invaluable networking opportunities designed to accelerate their impact and development.

Since our 1st program last year, A’Pelago Accelerator has supported 10 startups in refining their business models and making a positive impact in their respective industries for sea regions. This year’s program running from January to September, continues the momentum, offering each startup a valuable ecosystem, practical guidance, multiple capability building sessions from governance to branding and coaching to help them manage their impact to the seas better and grow.

The A’Pelago Accelerator experienced facilitators for this year includes - on top of the A'Pelago core team - Anna Törnroos-Remes, Anna Granstedt, Josefin Wiik, Pär Mickos, Kaj Hagros, Satu Wahlberg, Patrik Anckar, Freja Harkke, Mathias Kerke, Timo Ketonen, Turo Numminen, Piia Maaranen, Ville Valtonen, Iiro Hollmén, Fredrik Rönnlund and Mari Granström. They’ll be sharing their expertise to guide the ventures throughout the program.

Here’s a snap shot to this year's A'Pelago Accelerator Program candidates: 

• Nemo Seafarms restores coastal sea ecosystems and enhance sea biodiversity by focusing on the re-establishing of key-habitat-forming species and the removal of nutrients by harvesting algae.

• Lentola Logistics develops a drone delivery system to solve the unavailability of fast deliveries for customers located 15-20 km away from 0-33 kg delivery suppliers. The solution enables improved habitability of remote coastal areas.

• SEAPLAS develops biodegradable seaweed-based bioplastic to solve marine plastic pollution for individuals, businesses, and coastal communities. The solution can enable nutrient reduction from the oceans and driving sustainable consumption.

• eMath Studio by FourFerries solves the problem of ineffective math education and workforce skill gaps for students and teachers, by offering an AI-powered learning platform for mathematics with a unique math checker, personalized feedback via Gemma, comprehensive learning materials, teacher training, and vocational upskilling programs. The solution can enable blue economy development by teaching future entrepreneurs mathematic skills.

• Nexamass is developing an online marketplace for bio-based marine raw materials for harvesters, producers, and industrial buyers. Their initial focus is on the untapped potential of common reed. The solution can enable nutrient reduction from the Baltic Sea but designed to scale up globally for any maritime area.

• Coconord specializes in developing cocopeat growing mediums derived from premium coconut husks to growers. The solution has potential to reducing agricultural runoff into the Baltic Sea.

• Bokashi Finland has developed a soil fertilizer based on 100% bio-waste that enhances microbial activity and destroys harmful bacteria, pathogens and pesticides in the soil improving plant growth and overall ecosystem balance. The solution enables combatting agricultural runoff into the Baltic Sea.

• Lokala develops a platform to increase offering and sales of locally produced food. The solution enables habitability of costal areas by increasing economic opportunities.

• Fimuskraft develops a modular bioenergy plant that converts bio-waste into fertilizers for industrial and community customers. The solution offers a cost-effective way to produce biogas and fertilizers efficiently and quickly, using up to 50% less space than traditional solutions. The modular design supports the reduction of agricultural emissions in the Baltic Sea region.

• Alga.e offers a solution to the sargassum problem with a machine that enables easy dehydration of sargassum and reduces disposal and transportation costs by drying it on the spot, reducing 95% of its weight and turning it into a usable resource. The solution enables reducing invasive species from ocean and driving more sustainable consumption.
• Coral Rescue solves the lack of real-time, scalable coral reef restoration solutions for marine conservation organizations by providing geospatially-enabled, real-time coral health analysis using Sentinel satellite data. The solution provides ocean data for climate change adaptation and enables coral restoration and improved economic opportunities of costal areas.
• Ocean Eye offers a technology platform for micropayments from marine biodiversity sightings to coastal communities, creating a win-win for conservation and communities. The solution provides ocean information for education and enables climate change adaptation.
• EWK Finland offers non-toxic weed control solutions for professionals and consumers. The solutions are based on 100°C water and innovative technology to destroy the roots of the weed, providing better landscaping without pesticides.
• Chuck & Co offers a full portfolio service agreement for all-year garden needs, ranging from lawn mowing, leaf raking, pruning, gutter cleaning, reed harvesting to snow ploughing. An easy to book landscaping and yard care service based on sustainable solutions and local professionals.

We’re looking forward to seeing how these ventures develop and grow over the coming months—and are excited to witness their impact in the blue economy. Stay tuned for more updates along the way on Blue Connect!