Friday 26 April 2019

GCE Ocean Technology, formerly GCE Subsea, recently went through a name change to signify a new strategic direction. The cluster now wants to be an active faciliatator for technology transfer from the oil and gas industry into new ocean industry sectors.

“Katapult Ocean is proud to partner with one of the most technologically advanced clusters in Norway. We believe that the ocean industries must learn from each other and build on past experience to build the ocean industries of tomorrow”, says Maren Hjorth Bauer, CEO and founder of Katapult Ocean, an accelerator for global ocean tech startups. “

“The partnership with Katapult Ocean is a natural consequence of our revised strategy”, says Owe Hagesæther, CEO of GCE Ocean Technology. “We want to connect established high tech companies and new emerging ocean industries, and with this partnerhip we also connect to new environments both in Norway and abroad. This strengthens the position of the cluster and enables growth into new markets, says Hagesæther.

Katapult Ocean find, invest in and scale startups with positive impact on the ocean through the Katapult Ocean Accelerator program, starting in January 2019. During12 weeks, the start-ups will be pushed to develop their business models, work with pilot customers and focus on how their company can make a lasting impact. GCE Ocean Technology will contribute with mentoring and also help the start-ups connect with the the market and cluster members. Companies in the Katapult Ocean Accelerator may also be candidates for projects and growth programs within GCE Ocean Technology, says Owe Hagesæther.

“Some of the companies in the current batch has already received valuable mentoring from the GCE team. Getting feedback and advise from people close to the market is invaluable, and we look forward to continuing working with GCE Ocean Technology”, says Maren Hjort Bauer.