Ten European startups reshaping the blue economy

A new EU-Startups review highlights how European startups are reshaping the “blue economy” with climate tech, AI, robotics and advanced water treatment—expanding beyond traditional fishing, shipping and offshore energy. The coverage cites specific funding rounds, including €17 million for cargo.one tied to its acquisition of ocean-freight platform Cargofive, and €10 million for marine-biofuel developer Kvasir Technologies. The 10 featured companies, founded between 2020 and 2026, tackle challenges such as restoring coastal ecosystems, generating tidal power, removing hazardous pollutants and improving wastewater treatment. Examples include Apolownia in Paris, which develops coastal ecosystem restoration and blue carbon projects using satellites, drones and AI after raising €1 million; Blue Activity in Heidelberg, focused on safer industrial cooling-water treatment, which raised €8.5 million; and Caudal Energy launched in Oxford in 2024, building a tidal-energy system inspired by marine animals.