A city with nearly three miles of glittering Mediterranean coastline, Barcelona was an ideal location for the recent Global Seafood Marketplace Conference. From April 26-28, three Builders Vision team members (let’s call them the Oceans 3!) — Peter Bryant, Kate Danaher, and Larsen Mettler — convened at the Gran Via fair venue with an international cohort of blue economy leaders. A combination of trade expo and knowledge-sharing conference, the event aimed to engage and activate those most invested in sustainable, healthy seafood ecologies.
As they landed in Spain, the Oceans 3 joined more than 2,000 companies from 89 countries. The full blue economy came out: Other attendees came from a wide range of fields, from food service to private label program buyers. Along with the world’s largest seafood trade show, the event also featured a conference that offered more than 20 educational sessions across four key areas:
Aquaculture
Seafood Business & Leadership
Seafood Sustainability
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global seafood trade
One highlight from the trip was the private dinner hosted by Builders Vision, where the Oceans 3 personally connected with a group of key Oceans and Seafood partners.
“We’re seeing an emergence of talented entrepreneurs, technologies, and dedicated investors collectively charting the course for a healthy, sustainable, and profitable blue economy for the coming decades.”
— Larsen Mettler, Managing Director of Oceans and Seafood at S2G
Larsen also led a panel discussion, Venture Capital and Technologies Advancing the Seafood Industry. The conversation touched on many of the issues that we explore with our partners every day, including consumer demand for seafood, the financial impact on blue economies, and purpose-driven business models.
In fact, several of our partners took part in the conversation. Five of the six funds highlighted in Larsen’s panel were part of Builders Initiative’s Oceans portfolio. They included Amy Novogratz, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Aqua-Spark; Carlos Esteban, Partner at Blue Pioneers; Georg Baunach, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of HATCH; Chris Gorell Barnes, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ocean 14 Capital; and Christan Lim, Managing Director of SWEN Capital Partners. Erik Tveteraas, Investment Director of Nutreco, also took part in the powerful discussion.
“It’s extremely concerning to see the degradation of our oceans, marine life, and a healthy planet,” Larsen said during the panel. “I think we’re at a global tipping point, and the stakes are higher than ever to find innovative solutions.”
“I’m proud to say — looking at these people on stage — that there is hope,” he continued. “We’re seeing an emergence of talented entrepreneurs, technologies, and dedicated investors collectively charting the course for a healthy, sustainable, and profitable blue economy for the coming decades.”
Peter echoed Larsen’s sentiments: “The whole event demonstrated for us how robust the oceans impact investment sector truly is. The moment showcased how investment partnerships can effectively accelerate this space’s development.”
Ultimately, the conference fortified our commitment to aquaculture while introducing innovative concepts from around the world.
