The Earthshot Prize and Builders Vision Announce Partnership to Accelerate and Scale Ocean Solutions
Builders Vision joins The Earthshot Prize as Global Alliance Founding Partner
Ocean solutions gain momentum with 302 nominations for The Earthshot Prize 2025, up from 232 in 2024, underscoring the need for further investment in the blue economy
LONDON - Today, The Earthshot Prize is announcing a strategic partnership with Builders Vision, a team of investors and philanthropists accelerating tomorrow’s most promising solutions across food, agriculture, energy and oceans.
As the international community prepares to gather at the Blue Economy Finance Forum in Monaco on 7 and 8 June, and the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France 9 – 13 June, this strategic partnership will allow Builders Vision and The Earthshot Prize to work together to accelerate much-needed innovation, elevate global awareness, and increase investment in ocean-focused initiatives.
Under immense pressure from the impacts of rising temperatures, plastic pollution, and overfishing, the world’s oceans and their surrounding communities are in need of innovative and sustainable solutions to meet the goal of protecting 30% of our oceans by 2030. Just 3% of the world’s oceans are currently fully protected, underscoring the need for more investment and support to address this critical gap by the end of the decade – a focus for both The Earthshot Prize and Builders Vision.
Achieving this vision, however, requires addressing a significant challenge: the cumulative $900 million funding gap between now and 2030 for ocean conservation and regeneration. The partnership aims to bridge that gap by bringing together key leaders, government representatives, partners, and institutions committed to the blue economy.
“Our new partnership with Builders Vision is an important milestone for The Earthshot Prize’s strategy to find and scale the transformative solutions needed to revive our oceans. As a champion for the global goal to protect 30% of our ocean by 2030, we believe powerful collaborations, with organisations that share our values, are vital to drive fresh investment into the Blue Economy. There is huge potential in the collective effort of Builders Vision and The Prize, as we accelerate towards our biggest and most vital goals.”
— Jason Knauf, Chief Executive Officer of The Earthshot Prize
To bolster and strengthen The Prize’s pipeline of ocean solutions and increase the level of investment, Builders Vision will play a key role in supporting The Prize’s ocean strategy, leveraging its expertise to:
Support pivotal initiatives, including the development of new ocean funds
Map the ocean innovation and funding landscape
Generate actionable insights to guide investors, innovators, policymakers, and funders
Convene a global audience to foster collaboration and drive solutions
Highlight the ocean’s critical impact and commercial opportunities through storytelling
Builders Vision brings a deep commitment to impact, having invested [more than $260 million] in 158 ocean-focused partners. Oceans remain an underfunded pillar of global environmental recovery, particularly in comparison to food and energy, and Builders Vision sees this partnership as an opportunity to increase visibility, funding, and innovation for marine ecosystems.
“Builders Vision’s Ocean strategy believes a healthy ocean system is a pillar of global environmental recovery and economic prosperity. We are excited by this new, strategic partnership with the Earthshot Prize and our two organisations proudly invest in the innovations and partnerships that will help build a resilient future for people and planet. We also see the power of collaboration across industry, investing, government and philanthropy — and share a sense of urgency to act boldly now.”
— Lukas Walton, CEO and Founder of Builders Vision
As part of this strategic partnership, Builders Vision will join The Earthshot Prize’s Global Alliance of Founding Partners. This group of leading global organisations and philanthropies plays a critical role in identifying, scaling, supporting and catalysing investment in pioneering environmental and climate solutions with the potential to drive systemic and scalable impact, bringing the strength of their robust network and expertise. The Global Alliance includes the likes of Bloomberg Philanthropies, Breakthrough Energy, Bezos Earth Fund, Temasek Trust, Standard Chartered and Uber, among others.
The partnership between The Earthshot Prize and Builders Vision comes at a pivotal moment, as global attention and recognition of the power of ocean solutions is growing. The number of nominations for The Earthshot Prize ‘Revive our Oceans’ category has more than doubled since The Earthshot Prize's first class of nominations in 2021 and Finalists include four outstanding Winners Coral Vita, The Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef, Wild Aid and The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People. Ocean solutions, however, still represent only 9% of the Prize’s total nominations in 2025.
At the 2025 Blue Economy Finance Forum, The Earthshot Prize and Builders Vision will convene public and private sector leaders to demonstrate the investment case for the ocean and showcase
both innovative investment opportunities and successful innovations that support and grow a sustainable blue economy. The Forum, organised by the Government of Monaco, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, with support from France and Costa Rica, will address the ocean conservation funding gap by showcasing scalable solutions and innovative financing mechanisms.
The Prince of Wales will be delivering remarks at the 2025 Blue Economy Finance Forum as the last one in the final Heads of States and Government session just ahead of the official closing remarks which will be delivered by President Chaves Robles of Costa Rica, President Macron of France and HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.
A highlight of the event will be a session featuring ocean partners, investors, and HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, where ten investment-ready ventures redefining ocean-based industries will be presented, offering investors exclusive access to the next wave of innovative Earthshot ocean solutions. Earthshot Finalists Abalobi, Notpla, Coast 4C and Nature Metrics will be taking part.