15 Canadian Teams Selected for the 2026 Ocean Startup Challenge
Canada’s next wave of ocean technology companies is taking on everything from seafood waste and aquaculture disease to marine decarbonization, coastal erosion and autonomous ocean monitoring.
Fifteen startups from across the country have been selected for the 2026 Ocean Startup Challenge, each advancing technologies with the potential to improve how we understand, use and protect the ocean.
“What this cohort reinforces is just how much strong ocean innovation is already happening across Canada,” said Iliass Lamrini, Program Manager with the Ocean Startup Project. “The breadth of the projects coming forward is remarkable — founders are tackling very different challenges across the ocean economy, but with the same underlying ambition to make the sector smarter, more sustainable and more resilient. There is no shortage of strong ideas. The gap is often in giving those ideas the right support, at the right stage, to keep moving. We’re proud to help create that momentum and support technologies that can contribute to healthier oceans while strengthening the trajectory of Canada’s ocean economy.”
The Ocean Startup Challenge helps early-stage ocean technology companies move from promising concepts toward commercial readiness. Selected founders receive non-dilutive support to advance critical business and technology milestones, along with access to industry expertise, mentorship, programming and connections across Canada’s ocean innovation ecosystem.
For many founders, that support comes at a pivotal stage: after an idea has shown promise, but before the company has the resources, validation or market traction needed to scale. The Challenge is designed to help close that gap and give companies the momentum to test, refine and commercialize their technologies.
That progression is visible within this year’s cohort. Of the 15 companies selected, 12 previously participated in the Ocean Idea Challenge, an earlier-stage Ocean Startup Project program focused on helping founders explore and validate ocean-focused ideas.
The 2026 Ocean Startup Challenge winners include:
A-Scent Innovations Inc. (British Columbia) — Develops printable sensors for smart packaging that monitor seafood freshness, helping reduce food waste while improving food safety and supply chain transparency.
Aquadrone Inc. (Quebec) — Develops underwater ROV solutions that improve the safety, precision and efficiency of submerged infrastructure inspection, maintenance and intervention.
FluxAtlas (British Columbia) — A collaborative geospatial monitoring platform that helps communities, researchers and infrastructure managers measure, track and forecast coastal and river erosion.
InBridge AI (British Columbia/Quebec) — Develops specialized maritime AI that embeds operational knowledge into decision-making across vessels and shore-based teams.
Marine Critical Parts Supply (MCPS) Inc. (Newfoundland and Labrador) — Tackles fragmented maintenance, inventory and procurement processes across marine and offshore operations.
Nazara AI (Newfoundland and Labrador) — Uses artificial intelligence to support quality assurance, quality control and technical reviews in offshore structural design.
Pronautica Solutions (Quebec) — Builds digital measurement and evidence tools for commercial shipping, beginning with the cargo figures at the centre of bulk voyages.
Retide Labs, Inc. (British Columbia/Ontario) — Uses AI and robotics to measure, map and verify plastic pollution across oceans, beaches and rivers.
Sailbotix (British Columbia) — Develops compact, offshore-capable autonomous surface vessels for long-duration ocean monitoring.
Sea Hand Systems (Prince Edward Island) — Develops automated cage-flipping equipment for oyster farms, reducing manual labour while working with existing farm gear.
Sentry Labs (Quebec) — Developing a portable graphene molecular sensing platform for rapid, on-site detection of pathogens, toxins and other biological threats in aquaculture.
SoraRisk (Quebec) — An AI-driven maritime risk analytics platform that helps quantify the financial impact of decarbonization regulations.
Sulys (Quebec) — Combines on-site molecular detection and artificial intelligence to help aquaculture producers detect disease before it becomes visible.
SURF Robotics (Nova Scotia) — Develops accessible autonomous ocean platforms that help marine carbon removal and ocean science teams collect in-water data without relying on costly vessels or fixed infrastructure.
WaveGen Technologies Inc. (Ontario) — Develops optimization and dynamic mooring technology designed to improve power generation and storm survivability for wave energy farms.
The 2026 Ocean Startup Challenge received 55 applications from across Canada.
Since launching in 2020, the Ocean Startup Project has supported entrepreneurs across Canada working to turn ocean-focused ideas into viable technologies and companies, helping strengthen the country’s pipeline of ocean innovation.
For more information about the Ocean Startup Challenge, visit oceanstartupproject.ca/startup-challenge.