#44: Chris Gorell Barnes (Ocean 14 Capital) – An Investor’s View on the Biggest Opportunity in the Blue Economy

Send us Fan Mail The blue economy is growing fast. It's expected to reach US$3 trillion by 2030. And if you're an ocean founder, you may be wondering: where is that growth happening? How do I tap into that potential and contribute to positive change? Chris Gorell Barnes from Ocean 14 Capital thinks the biggest opportunity to drive growth is to transition the established, proven businesses to become more modern, digitalised, and sustainable. Plug innovation into what already exists rather than building something new from scratch. Chris's bio: Chris Gorell Barnes is a Founding Partner at Ocean 14 Capital, an impact fund investing in the blue economy. Before he moved into ocean investment, he built a career in media and marketing, founding the brand communications agency Adjust Your Set, which he later sold to the OLIVER group, and producing the award-winning documentary The End of the Line, about the global overfishing crisis. He also co-founded the Blue Marine Foundation, a marine charity that creates marine reserves and works to establish sustainable models of fishing. Ocean 14 Capital backs growth-stage businesses across the blue economy, from sustainable aquaculture and alternative proteins to seaweed and plastics, all guided by UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. Launched in 2020, its first fund closed at €201 million, making it one of the largest dedicated to the blue economy, with backers including Nestlé, the European Investment Fund, Monaco's sovereign wealth fund, and Skype founder Niklas Zennström. The firm is a certified B Corp. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:25 - Who Chris is and what Ocean 14 Capital does 00:02:53 - The fund's two themes, food security and marine ecosystems 00:03:23 - Kingfish and the case for land-based fish farming 00:04:47 - Why the real gap is growth capital, not startup money 00:05:46 - Transitioning fish farms off Excel spreadsheets 00:08:38 - Venture fatigue and the shift to growth equity 00:11:33 - The biggest misconception about the ocean 00:12:30 - Why SDG 14 is the least funded goal 00:15:22 - Where investors lose money, insect protein and RAS 00:20:40 - The sales problem holding blue economy businesses back 00:26:23 - Final advice, do your homework first Useful Links & Resources: Chris Gorell Barnes on LinkedIn Ocean 14 Capital: Website, LinkedIn, and Instagram Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on LinkedIn, X or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co The Ocean Age Podcast is edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!