Women in Ocean Food

Women in Ocean Food (WiOF) is one of Hatch Blue's most successful venture programs, scaling across three continents since 2021: Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and, most recently, Africa. Altogether, we’ve run five cohorts so far: that’s 68 teams from 32 countries, with 21 startups going on to raise over USD$12M in total post-program. Each and every cohort is balanced between venture focused companies and community based projects all with one thing in common: exceptional women leading the way.

Like our other programs, WiOF combines hands-on business support and sector mentorship with access to our global network. We help founders develop the capabilities they need to develop their business and raise capital or grant funding, strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem in each region and gaining early viability into the promising technologies and projects shaping the sector. Conservation International Ventures has been a core partner since launch, bringing  a conservation and philanthropic-funding lens that complements our focus on equity and commercialization.

The core curriculum is consistent everywhere it runs: a 10-day in-person Innovation Studio paired with 12 months of ongoing support for founders. Each edition is carefully adapted to the region’s culture and anchored by a female Community Manager who brings in local connections, experiences and flavors.

Why Women in Ocean Food Exists

It all began as a side stream from a global online program during the pandemic, where we paired the female founders with women who had already built successful businesses. These mentors not only shared their business advice, but also their experiences in building a venture as a woman in aquaculture. That additional peer support made an outsized difference.

Women already form much of aquaculture's workforce, with more than 50% involved in the supply chain. Yet female-founded ventures in the sector remain broadly underbacked relative to their male-counterparts: limited access to credit and financial institutions continues to prevent many women from operating their own aquaculture businesses (UNESCO, 2024). Women in Ocean Food exists to close that gap.

Success Stories from Our Programs

That's the purpose behind Women in Ocean Food: surfacing exceptional women leaders early, and giving them the resources to run with the businesses they've built from an equal footing. Several alumni have gone on to raise capital and are currently expanding their operations:

• Yolanda Herrera, CFO & Co-Founder of Blue Pond Group (Thailand), scaling seaweed-derived bioactives across three continents.
• Daniela Allerbon, CEO of AQUIT (Chile), with their salmon product trials outperforming industry benchmarks.
• Annabell Palacios, Founder of MareaRosa (Ecuador), earning the ASC Shrimp Standard certification to secure premium pricing and access key markets like the USA.
• Fabiane Almeida, CEO of AquaViridi (Brazil), securing $1.25M in grants and $250K in investment to scale production and validate new extracts.
• Elena Martínez, CTO & Co-Founder of SOS Biotech [Dominican Republic], earning USDA accreditation, securing US market access and working directly with several American farmers. 

Collectively, our three Latin American cohorts have raised more than $10,6M, and Southeast Asia alumni from the 2022 cohort more than $2M, since their Studios concluded. Other prominent female entrepreneurs from our portfolio  have joined as mentors for the program, including Liris Maduningtyas from JALA and Brianna Orr Stratton from deNova.

Where We’re Headed Next

Together, these entrepreneurs are creating the sector's next breakout successes and community based impact. Next up: our Latin American edition launching in Mexico in early 2027. Africa's second round is already taking shape, drawing on lessons from the first cohort in 2026. And we're working on developing a multi-year Women in Ocean Food program for Southeast Asia, one of the world’s largest aquaculture production regions.

This work wouldn't be possible without partners who help establish the environment these entrepreneurs need to succeed, including iAlumbra, The DOEN Foundation, Builders Initiative, The Anchor Foundation, Mustardseed Trust, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, Beyster Foundation, and Sea Forward. And of course the critical partnership we have built with the Conservation International team with their hands on knowledge and expertise around community based impact and conservation

If you'd like to join us in leveling the playing field for female entrepreneurs in the Blue Economy and to inspire the next generation of female leaders in the sector and discovering the next growth stories in your region, reach out to our team.

‍