The fund was formally introduced on 18 September, during Impact Week 2025 in Singapore, marked by signing a memorandum of understanding.
The Asia Ocean Fund aims to be among the first and largest in the region that’s directly responding to the US$5.5 trillion funding gap in the Asia Pacific needed to meet SDG14 (Life Below Water) targets by 2030. While investment in ocean startups in the region has doubled, reaching $400 million in the period between 2020-2024, this is dwarfed by global peers (the US alone reached over $800 million in 2024).
Focusing on six key sectors, the fund aims to catalyse scalable solutions tailored to Asia’s unique challenges and potential. The sectors are maritime decarbonisation, ocean renewable energy, green shipping infrastructure, ocean biodiversity and restoration solutions, circular resources, and sustainable aquaculture and marine biotechnology. Targeting over 20 investments over the next 5 years, the first accelerator is set to launch in H1 2026.
Asia’s ocean sector is unparalleled in scale and importance, producing most of the world’s seafood, managing over two-thirds of global maritime trade, and supporting millions of livelihoods. Yet the region faces urgent climate and sustainability risks, making accelerated investment essential for food security, decarbonisation, resilience, and the global transition to a new blue economy.
The Asia Ocean Fund unites Octave Capital’s regional presence and deep maritime expertise with Katapult Ocean’s global leadership as the world’s most active ocean impact venture fund manager. The Octave Capital team brings over a decade of impact investing experience in Asia, with a strong track record advancing the wellbeing economy through investments in healthcare, education, climate and energy transition, circularity, and sustainable food. Katapult Ocean has invested in and accelerated over 80 ocean-tech startups across 25+ countries since 2018.
Together, they will co-manage the fund 50/50, combining complementary strengths and a shared holistic impact philosophy to channel capital into innovative solutions that advance ocean health, decarbonisation, and impact throughout Asia.
“Oceans are a shared global lifeline and an investment frontier for regeneration. Asia is at the frontline of both challenges and opportunities. By channelling capital into ocean solutions here, investors can unlock growth while tackling urgent environmental and social needs,” said May Liew, CEO and executive director of Octave Capital, in a press release.
“With Katapult Ocean, Octave Capital is harnessing our maritime roots and systems perspective to build an investment platform that restores, not extracts.’
“Asia’s blue economy holds immense promise, but what’s been missing is the bridge between innovation and capital,” said Jonas Skattum Svegaarden, CEO of Katapult Ocean. “The Asia Ocean fund is that bridge – de-risking early-stage ventures, attracting broader investment, and empowering entrepreneurs and the Asian ecosystem to drive the global transition towards a thriving ocean economy.”
Following the launch, the partners say that they will engage in strategic collaboration with shipping and maritime leaders, family offices, foundations, and mission-driven investors who share a commitment to building a cleaner, healthier ocean future.
