Tech + Science

Victoria-based Ocean Aid wins COAST Pitchfest competition and $10,000 cash prize

Ocean Aid will use the funding, which was given to the competition by Seaspan, to continue to drive marine innovation

By The Editors /

B.C.’s marine tech sector isn’t a small pond, with some 1,000 companies headquartered in the province. And Ocean Aid has just announced itself as a big fish.

Five ocean technology startups competed at the second COAST Pitchfest of the year for a grand prize of $10,000. The competition, hosted in Victoria this time around (the inaugural edition was set in April in Vancouver), saw local company Ocean Aid—which is developing marine automatic target recognition systems to allow vessels to make informed decisions while out on the ocean—take home first prize.

The Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST) was launched by the South Island Prosperity Partnership in 2021 to create a world class ocean and marine innovation hub for B.C. The prize money was provided by the event’s sponsor, Seaspan.

“This award is going to make a huge impact for Ocean Aid as we grow our team and bring our technology to market—it’s really an honour,” said Andrew Polanyi in a release.

The four other finalists included Surrey-based sustainable seaweed grower Canadian Pacifico Seaweeds, Squamish boat manufacturer Celerity Craft, Vancouver-based recyclable performance fibre producer Fibr.Bio and Miha Biotech, a Coquitlam company that makes bandages from seaweed.

COAST plans to host its next Pitchfest competition in the spring.