Underwater WiFi, aquaponic farms: How European startups woo investors

euronews (in English)

Europe excels in ocean tech innovation but struggles with venture funding. An EU initiative aims to change that by helping startups gain investors' trust—from Italy's underwater WiFi to Portugal's fish-powered farms.

Transcript

00:00Europe stands at the forefront of ocean technology innovation, with eight European nations ranking

00:14among the world's top ten leaders in this field. Yet, Europe is falling behind the United

00:19States and China when it comes to venture funding for our blue-tech innovators. How

00:25can we unlock the full power of European investments to ensure our blue-tech pioneers don't just

00:31survive but thrive in this increasingly competitive global landscape?

00:41We're heading out to sea with a team of Italian researchers. Their destination is the Secae

00:48della Meloria, a protected marine area off the coast of Livorno. They're going to test

00:53new equipment that could change how we study and protect life under the sea. The team is

01:00placing special devices in the water. These devices work like underwater Wi-Fi stations.

01:05They help divers communicate wirelessly by sending text messages using special underwater

01:10tablets. This work is part of the WTAG project. It's backed by European Union money through

01:15two Italian programs, the National Biodiversity Future Centre and the National Recovery Fund.

01:21The team hopes these methods will help protect marine areas around the world. This isn't

01:26just diving, it's diving into the future of marine research.

01:33Here is what makes this setup different from the Wi-Fi we use on land. Wi-Fi relies on

01:40high-frequency radio waves, but those don't work well underwater. They can't travel far

01:47at all. Instead, this system uses sound waves. The sound travels through the water much better,

01:55allowing these researchers to communicate over much longer distances, just like dolphins

02:00and whales.

02:17This new system makes diving safer too. It works like a GPS underwater, showing exactly

02:24where each diver is. If there's trouble, divers can call for help instantly. The company behind

02:31this technology is called WSENSE. They specialise in underwater communication systems that are

02:38helping learn much more about our oceans.

03:01Wireless networks under the sea can find their use in many sectors of Europe's blue economy.

03:32From fish farming to tourism, and from checking bridges and dams to running offshore wind farms.

03:41At WSENSE's main office in Rome, we see some equipment built with tough titanium cases.

03:48These can work deep in the ocean, thousands of metres down, helping underwater sensors,

03:55robots and other devices talk to each other.

04:13Finding the right investors can be tough, especially in blue tech. But WSENSE won the

04:19award of BlueInvest, a European union programme that links ocean-focused start-ups to investors.

04:25That put the company in the spotlight, helping it raise much more than expected.

04:49BlueInvest has many success stories connecting ocean-focused entrepreneurs with people who

05:00want to invest in their ideas. Aquaponics Iberia, in Portugal's Torres Vedras, created

05:06a system to grow fish and plants together.

05:20It works like a tiny ecosystem. Bacteria turn fish waste into food for plants. Then the

05:30plants clean the water, making it fresh again for the fish. The company says their proprietary

05:35method uses very little water. It saves 95% compared to regular fish farming on land.

05:43This could solve a big problem in the industry. BlueInvest helped them create a stronger business

05:49plan. Now Aquaponics Iberia seeks funding to scale up and implement a modular fish and

05:54greens concept that can include production areas, classrooms and restaurants.

06:13This technology isn't just for business. It's also helping students learn. In Lisbon,

06:25at the Fonseca Benavides secondary school, students are running their own aquaponics

06:30system. While they don't eat the carp fish they raise, the vegetables from their system

06:37sometimes end up in school lunches. Students use biology to understand the fish and plants,

07:00chemistry to test the water, math to measure growth and calculate supplies.

07:08Europe imports 70% of its seafood, but Aquaponics could help us grow fresh fish and vegetables

07:29locally all year round.

07:37From underwater networks to fish farming systems, Europe's ocean start-ups are pioneering

07:50promising new solutions. And programmes like BlueInvest can help them ride the wave.

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