Driven by pioneers like TOWT, the blue economy is charting its course — a sustainable and profitable bet that is finally winning over investors and decision-makers.
“We almost died a hundred times, but here we are,” celebrates Guillaume Le Grand, who founded TransOceanic Wind Transport (TOWT) in 2011, a company dedicated to sail-powered maritime freight based in Brittany. The forty-something entrepreneur, convinced that a decarbonized alternative to maritime transport was necessary, initially struggled to convince investors. “At first, everyone thought I was crazy,” he admits. Nearly fifteen years later, with his fleet of next-generation cargo sailing ships designed in partnership with the Piriou shipyards, he has proven that the project is far from a pipe dream and has earned the support of BPI France and the Caisse des Dépôts group.
While he struggled to convince investors at the start, the situation today is very different: the blue economy — encompassing all sustainable economic activities related to seas and oceans — has established itself as a promising future sector and is drawing strong interest from the financial world. For Jean-François Thau, co-founder of Mer Angels, a network of business angels that has already invested over 5 million euros in 18 startups—mainly focused on marine biotechnology and deep-sea conservation—“it’s fascinating to see how quickly things have evolved.”
Source: Le point
