Officially kicking off Season 2 with Elodie bringing yet another inspiring woman into the conversation, Nwabisa Mayema, the Strategic Partnerships Director at Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship South Africa.
Nwabisa, who describes herself as an entrepreneur for entrepreneurs, is a powerhouse in the South African innovation ecosystem. Nwabisa’s entrepreneurial journey started in 2006 and her passion always lied in connecting people, resources and opportunities for the greater good.
She plays a critical role at the Branson Centre following the spirit and mindset brought by @Richard Branson and continues to inspire key businesses with her uplifting approach that guided her through the years.
Elodie truly enjoyed the passionate conversation with Nwabisa and here is a sneak peek of some “subjects” they tackled in this episode:
🌊 Listen to Nwabisa’s approach to business looking at making an impact in the ocean space. 🌊 Learn how to be a successful entrepreneur (especially when you work for/with one of the most inspiring living entrepreneurs of our time!) 🌊 Revisit the meaning of the buzzword “impact” and how it applies to your business 🌊 Look into how Branson Centre supports innovators to position themselves in a promising ecosystem and get their project on an investor table. 🌊 We can’t say it enough. You don’t need to be a unicorn. You can be a zebra and change the world too.
To round off our successful first season of OCEANOVATION’s Dive In Podcast, we have invited Melanie Nadeau, the CEO of Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE) to share her personal journey with the Ocean, and how it shaped her professional career and role at COVE.
We truly enjoy a good story and an inspiring woman, and this one will be no exception.
Melanie’s journey is everything but your usual resume. An entrepreneur at heart, bold and driven, she decided to enroll in the Canadian Navy at the age of 16. Aside from the incredible experience, opportunities, and travel she experienced, the discipline she acquired gave her a competitive advantage she is applying today when running COVE.
Through her unique set of skills and entrepreneurial approach, she leveraged her love for the Ocean by ensuring that COVE becomes a valuable tool to support Blue Tech and Ocean data-driven projects.
Tune into Episode #4 of the Dive in Series as Elodie and Melanie discuss;
Her experience as a woman in a sector usually male-dominated and how she overcame some of the challenges to pursue her career and passion What it is to be an innovator and entrepreneur in the Canadian blue space.
Canada’s current positioning in the blue economy and how existing regulations potentially affect ocean innovation The role of COVE in supporting more “agile” regulations and practices to tackle some of the concerns faced by strategic ocean industries.
Our first guest will be no stranger to anyone who is clued up on the blue economy legal ecosystem (and she also attending our OCEANOVATION Meetup in Barcelona last year 🙂), introducing Virginie Tassin Campanella!
Virginie is the Founder and Managing Director of VTA Tassin a Public International Law Firm, dedicated to the Ocean & Seas.
Virginie has a unique approach to legal matters and is passionate about helping companies define their sustainable development goals by thinking outside the box. Working with government, corporates and startups, she has developed an understanding of how the blue economy impacts the world of business models, processes, and all other aspects involved in delivering business value.
Tune into Episode #1 of the Dive in Series as Elodie Delagneau and Virginie Tassin Campanella discuss:
Virginie’s innovative approach to law and the role it plays in your business
What the term ‘Blue Economy’ actually means across sectors and industries
How corporates and startups could positively impact our ocean with a clear trajectory
Why is “Greenwashing” often misunderstood and misused and what are the legal implications behind the buzzword
The importance of defining your company’s sustainable development goals
We invite you to tune into the Dive In by OCEANOVATION and ride the wave of ocean innovation with us. Learn more at https://oceanovation.world/
Imagine a world where our oceans are polluted to the extent that a sunset swim could potentially lead to you contracting one (or more) life-threatening diseases.
In 2015, Mathilda D’Silva, Founder of Ocean Purpose Project, took part in a dragon boat racing competition in Boracay, Philippines, that would change the course of her life. Three weeks after the event, Mathilda began suffering from multiple autoimmune diseases caused by untreated wastewater from the sewage pipes of nearby hotels and restaurants.
Her journey to find a cure for her illnesses led to her searching for a solution to cure the ocean itself. Ocean Purpose Project was born.
The Ocean Purpose Project aims to find purpose in the main issues affecting the health of the Ocean and coastal communities by solving the ocean plastic crisis through plastic to fuel, bioplastics and influencing behaviour change amongst the communities and key players.
Tune into Episode #2 of the Dive in Series as Elodie Delagneau and Mathilda D’Silva discuss:Her background in the TV industry and how it influences the trajectory and positioning of the Ocean Purpose Project. How not having marine biologist expertise can still create an impact under and above water. How she contributes to bridging the gaps between local communities, scientists, innovators and corporates in the region.
How turning plastic into fuel could be an answer to the plastic pollution crisis. And how it could be scaled.
As a member of the OCEANOVATION network, you’ll know that our mission is to support Ocean innovators. Imagine our excitement when we got the chance to connect with SeaAhead, a benefit corporation on a mission of supporting new ventures focussed on ocean innovation and sustainability, led by Alissa Peterson.
When you picture Brooklyn, New York, where Alissa was born and raised, the Ocean is not the first thing that would come to your mind. However, Alissa’s childhood was spent by the sea, which was only a 20 minutes walk from home and that exposure to the Ocean developed her passion and purpose in the blue space.
Alissa is a powerhouse in the Ocean, Bluetech and angel investing space, who is passionate about using her background to help catalyse opportunities for scalable new technologies and ventures to improve ocean sustainability.
Tune into Episode #3 of the Dive in Series as Elodie Delagneau, and Alissa Peterson discuss:
How Alissa’s experience working for startups has informed how Sea Ahead supports their growth and venture
Insight into how Alissa bridges the gap between founders and investors
Alissa’s recommendations for startups who are preparing their investor pitch
