building san francisco’s
blue economy

 Building San Francisco’s
Blue Economy

SF Blue Tech is the premiere community and monthly networking ecosystem for ocean tech startups, marine scientists, maritime professionals and coastal stewards hosted at the South Beach Yacht Club in San Francisco.

From deep tech hardware to AI-driven ocean analytics, the brightest minds building ocean technology come here to invent, protect, monitor, analyze and network.

  • marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), methane and ocean acidification mitigation
  • ocean data science, marine AI and monitoring systems
  • marine science, biology and oceanography research
  • tidal energy and wave power innovations
  • aquaculture, oyster restoration, seaweed cultivation and sustainable fisheries
  • ocean, coastal and estuary habitat regeneration
  • autonomous maritime platforms including submersibles, ROVs, AUVs and electric boats
  • sailing and commercial port trades
  • ocean investment, climate tech venture capital and blue economy funding
  • plastic alternatives, waste reduction and coastal cleanup initiatives

SF Blue Tech is the regional launchpad where tech startups showcase cutting-edge marine innovations to peer founders, climate tech investors, industry analysts and maritime leaders.

upcoming events:

december 10

holiday mixer scientists vs. sailors

january 14

stuff that floats

info

we have three focus areas:

1.

on-ramping blue tech start ups &
fueling the workforce pipeline

2.

regenerating sf bay,
coastlines & the ocean

3.

educating and activating
the community

receive event notices

mailing list

what is the value of the blue economy and ocean sector?

$51bn

The U.S. blue economy contributes $7 trillion to the national economy, and $51 billion annually to California’s GDP alone, according to NOAA Office of Coastal Management.

what is blue tech?

SDG bars SF Blue Tech

Blue tech drives sustainable ocean innovation, remediation and regeneration. This segment includes technologies, systems and platforms designed for application or use on, above or within the ocean. A broad business vertical, it is comprised of entities and companies working on everything from AI-driven ocean mapping to sustainable wave energy, from fisheries and aquaculture to maritime data and sensors and more. 

faqs for events and sfbt community

Expect a high-energy, welcoming environment filled with marine scientists, startup founders, investors, students, civic leaders and more.

SF Blue Tech meetups feature short expert presentations or panel discussions on cutting-edge ocean technology, followed by structured, collaborative networking where you connect directly with the Bay Area’s leading blue economy innovators.

We try to adhere to this timing:
5:30 – 6:30pm: networking, bar, food
6:30 – 6:45pm: welcome and updates
6:45 – 7:30pm: guest speaker(s)
7:30pm until 8pm (some nights we remain longer): networking, bar, food

To attend an event, register on our website event page. Look for ‘climate tech events’ up top. It is necessary to register in advance.

To learn about events and join our community, subscribe here: https://sfbluetech.com/climate-tech-events/subscribe-to-newsletter/

Absolutely. We welcome visiting blue tech founders, investors, researchers and maritime professionals from out of town.

Whether you’re in the Bay Area for a conference or passing through, join us at the South Beach Yacht Club to connect with the local ocean community.

Guest speakers present on a broad spectrum of ocean technology, marine science and coastal innovations. Past topics include:

Port of San Francisco Blue Economy Initiative: The Port of San Francisco is assisting development of the regional blue economy. The speaker spotlighted collaborative initiatives for maritime startups, including a new affordable office space leasing program.

Biomimicry & Ocean Innovation: Nature has spent billions of years perfecting sustainable design, fluid dynamics and resilience. We explored how engineers, marine scientists and startups  translate biological strategies from the ocean to cutting-edge maritime technology.

Autonomous Maritime Systems: Uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), autonomous submersibles and marine robotics with Ulysses.

Cell-Cultivated Agriculture & Sustainable Seafood: Next-generation maritime biotech and cellular aquaculture solutions with Wildtype, producer of salmon seafood.

AI-Driven Ocean Analytics & Monitoring: High-tech data systems used to protect, monitor and analyze marine ecosystems with SOFAR.

SF Blue Tech meetups feature short expert presentations or panel discussions on cutting-edge ocean technology, followed by structured, collaborative networking where you connect directly with the Bay Area’s leading blue economy innovators.

We try to adhere to this timing:
5:30 – 6:30pm: networking, bar, food
6:30 – 6:45pm: welcome and updates
6:45 – 7:30pm: guest speaker(s)
7:30pm until 8pm (some nights we remain longer): networking, bar, food

No, SF Blue Tech events are structured as educational, community-building and networking forums. We focus on fostering genuine collaboration, knowledge-sharing and discussions around maritime innovation, ocean technology and coastal conservation.
  • Pitching of competiting product or service is not permitted.
  • Whereas we recognize the value or marketing, public relations, SEO and similar business services, please do not attend for business development objectives.
  • Banks, funding, financing and startup investment professionals are welcome to attend, but should not attend purely to “distribute and collect business cards.’ We seek conversations with individuals who understand this space.

Ocean tech and blue economy networking events in the San Francisco Bay Area are hosted monthly at the South Beach Yacht Club, located at Pier 40 along The Embarcadero in San Francisco.

These gatherings bring together startup founders, marine scientists, maritime professionals, civic leaders, students, educators and more for expert presentations, discussions and community connection.