The local oceantech industry is burgeoning. Our past coverage has shown the breadth and depth of the sector growing in B.C. and in Victoria in particular. But Canada’s bluetech innovators are not only being acknowledged at home; organizations across the pond have recently showcased one of our homegrown water-focused leaders.

Open Ocean Robotics was recognized as one of the world’s 50 most innovative startups and scaleups in the maritime industry by Thetius, a U.K.-based marine intelligence agency. In creating the list, Thetius looked at product announcements, startup investments, partnerships, acquisitions, grant funding, and contract awards. Based on that criteria, Open Ocean was selected out of a list of 2,700.

Founded in 2019. Open Ocean develops autonomous energy-harvesting boats that are equipped with sensors, cameras, and communication devices to collect data. The company is led by Julie Angus, who Victoria Tech Journal spoke to this past June.

At the time, she offered her thoughts and enthusiasm on the growing industry her firm operates within. “We want to take advantage of that awareness and the opportunity to drive growth,” she said. “And to get people excited. We want to have more people enter the ocean economy, we want to have more diversity, we want to have people look at this as a great career for them. There's so much opportunity here. We want to be able to maximize that for our community, for our country, and for the environment.”

Angus and her firm are no strangers to recognition. At the 2021 Foresight Cleantech Awards, Angus took home the Industry Icon Award.

For more on B.C. marine innovation, read our special feature on the locals taking oceantech to the next level.