Prince Albert II of Monaco has awarded the winners of this year’s Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge, which supports young people who’ve developed new innovative concepts for a more sustainable ocean.

The Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge is co-organised by the International University of Monaco (IUM), the Oceanographic Institute, the Monaco Impact association and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. This year, it brought together over 100 students and young entrepreneurs from all around the world for a ceremony on 9th June in the presence of Hervé Berville, France’s State Secretary for the Sea.

The objective is to support the younger generation in developing new concepts and business models that have a positive and measurable environmental impact on the ocean.

The hundred participants, representing around 23 different nationalities including the United States, Mexico, Italy, France and Turkey, came from about 20 international universities and business schools. They had worked from mid-January to the end of April 2023 to create a business plan presenting new entrepreneurial concepts for a more sustainable ocean.

In total, 47 projects were submitted, and after two selection stages, six of them were chosen for the grand finale, divided into the ‘Students’ and ‘Start-ups’ categories.

As a pitch competition, the finalists were invited to present and defend their projects orally on the stage of the Conference Room at the Oceanographic Museum and convince the five members of the jury.

And the grand prize winners are…

Following an afternoon of presentations in front of the public, and deliberations by the jury, the three winners were rewarded by Prince Albert, who said during his presentation, “I would like to thank them not only for their efforts, their energy, their talent that they deployed to get this far, but even more their commitment to our global ocean.

“They will always be welcome here in the Principality of Monaco, which, for decades, as evidenced by the Oceanographic Museum, brings together all good intentions, all energies, and all talents that wish to engage in the protection of the oceans.”

Students category winner

Bloom, from Babson College in the United States, took out the top prize for their initiative for cleaning and converting surface algae into biomass pellets. They won a discovery trip to the Arctic for two people, worth €8,000, offered by Nansen Polar Expeditions.

Start-ups category winner

Pronoe, a French-based start-up, won for their innovative solution. Through alkaline flow production and control, Pronoe issues high-quality carbon removal certificates. Its clients purchase these certificates to achieve their Net Zero and SDG commitments. The founders were awarded with a €5,000 cheque by Monaco Impact, and a mentoring program worth €7,000 offered by White Castle Partners.

Coup de Coeur Special Award

Flexisea, made up of MINES ParisTech, the International University of Monaco and the Universitatea Politehnica of Bucharest, won the special award for their submarine robotic arm, which offers a precise solution for handling tasks and reducing harm to marine species.

They took home a €3,000 cheque offered by CFM Indosuez Wealth Management.

Each winner also received a trophy created specially for the MOPC 2023 and made with recycled materials by jeweller Alberto Domenico Vitale, CEO of Vitale 1913 Monte-Carlo, which has been committed to ocean preservation and sustainable trade since 2014.

Supporting innovation at an early stage

The Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge aims to concretely support the creation and development of start-ups capable of demonstrating a positive impact on ocean preservation in the short or medium term.

One of the objectives of the competition is to accompany the winners in advancing or realising their professional projects by providing them with advice and support, by connecting them with contacts and knowledge within the professional networks of partner companies, particularly those involved in incubation, acceleration, or start-up financing.

Camille Lopez, founder of HY-Plug and winner of the MOPC 2021, says the award helped to legitimise her company, which provides consulting services in sustainable maritime solutions to companies, ports and boat owners.

“By targeting the environmental impact on seas and oceans, this competition gives credibility to the company and provides access to a network,” said Lopez, who went on to participate in a number of sustainability events and win the Young Economic Chamber of Monaco’s business creation competition in December 2022. “Thanks to the work done since February 2021 and all these actions taken, I am creating my second company in Monaco in 2023 for the same activity, but specialised in yachting. It’s a dream come true.”

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Featured photo credit: Olivier Remualdo, Oceanographic Institute of Monaco