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systems and payloads at sea," explained Neil Manning, with oyster immune responses. Almost half of the fund-

CEO of Cellula Robotics. "This will help naval, coast ing is coming from OSC, with the rest contributed by a guard and offshore operators use autonomous assets more group of partners.

reliably and with lower risk of damage or loss." Nautical

Reach Systems will engineer its solutions around the mis-

Regional Investment sion, host vessel and operating environment, including With new technologies and solutions, the region is also remote, harsh and Arctic conditions. witnessing increased investment in the maritime indus- try and innovation. AtlantiCan Growth Partners (AGP) launched earlier this year, an investment platform dedi-

Ocean Research

MUN's Marine Institute is also home to range of ocean cated to scaling high-potential business across Atlantic research. In the summer of 2025, 285 concrete reef balls Canada. While not ultimately exclusive to the maritime were installed in the Fox Harbour area of Placentia Bay industry, AGP's ? rst investment focus is in the blue econ- to restore and enhance marine ecosystems affected by lo- omy, expanding the region's existing credibility and ex- cal vessel activity. Reef balls are concrete structures that pertise in aquaculture, marine technology, ? sheries, and create spaces for marine organisms to live, shelter and ocean innovation.

feed. This year, an underwater camera was installed so Over the past ? ve years, Atlantic Canada has attracted that researchers can track which species move in, observe only 2-3% of national venture capital, despite being a re- habitat changes, and assess how marine life adapts to new gion heavily connected to the ocean. AGP aims to ? ll this surroundings. The camera and its light activate for two gap by helping Canadian companies scale in the region. minutes every hour. The ? rst 30 seconds of each record- "Access to capital is a signi? cant challenge for com- ing are transmitted to MUN's Centre of Analytics, Infor- panies...we really need to see more capital, more access matics and Research. to customers, more access to markets. AGP is trying to

One province over in NS, pHathom is testing a meth- tackle that capital piece, but also help with some of the od to capture carbon and store it back in the ocean by broader scaling," explained Kendra Macdonald, CEO of converting it into bicarbonate. The company's system OSC and a member of AGP's Board of Directors. "It's revolves around rain—as drops fall, they absorb carbon not just about the money. It's also about the strength of dioxide from the atmosphere and become slightly acidic. governance and broader investment support for these

When the water falls onto an alkaline rock (like lime- companies to be able to grow." stone), a tiny part of the rock dissolves, reducing the "We have one of the highest concentrations of research- rain's acidity and converting the carbon dioxide into bi- ers in ocean PhDs in ocean here," Macdonald added. carbonate. pHathom aims to mimic this process by ex- "There's a really high concentration of researchers, tal- posing seawater to the exhaust of a biomass power plant, ent, and capacity. It's also what we hear from our entre- increasing the water’s acidity. This is mixed in a tank preneurs—it's a very collaborative environment. You've with small limestone particles, initiating the bicarbonate got lots of support in the ecosystem that is really focused conversion. The pilot phase, which will be tested at the on helping these companies succeed. It is very unique in

Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews, NB, terms of the ecosystem that is built and the strength and aims to capture 0.1 tons of carbon dioxide daily. connection to ocean opportunities."

In PEI, a brief skip to the north, Canada's Ocean Su- AGP maintains a long-term vision of launching three percluster (OSC) announced $1.1 million for the Ac- dedicated funds, beginning with a $100-$150 million in- celerating the Development of MSX-Resistant Oyster vestment into the blue economy.

Seed Project led by Atlantic Aqua Farms. Multinucleate

Sphere Unknown (MSX) disease is a threat to shell? sh With constant innovation, a continued connection to aquaculture, reaching mortality rates exceeding 95% in the ocean, and new investment sources, Atlantic Canada parts of western PEI, a province where the oyster indus- is poised for meaningful growth in the blue economy. try is valued at about $60 million annually. The project The four provinces are ones to keep an eye on, leverag- will develop MSX-resistant oysters, establish a disease ing their coastal access, collaborative research, and long- model and identify key biological markers associated standing maritime history.

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