Deadline Date: May 15, 2026
Upwell is a venture program designed to support ocean innovation startups in Latin America and the Caribbean as they move from prototype to real-world deployment with industry partners.
The program focuses on supporting ocean, maritime, and coastal innovation, advancing solutions from prototype to pilot stage, addressing industry-defined challenges, enabling deployment pathways, providing catalytic funding for real-world implementation, and ensuring deep operational engagement with industry partners.
Upwell is not a traditional accelerator or demo-day platform but a milestones-based commercialization program tailored for startups that already have working technologies. It is designed to help founders transition from early-stage validation to practical application by facilitating pilot projects with industry stakeholders across the region. The program emphasizes hands-on collaboration and structured support to ensure that innovations are tested in real operational environments.
The initiative is specifically suited for founders who are building solutions for ocean-related challenges and have developed a functional prototype with early technical validation. It targets startups that are ready to test their solutions in real-world conditions and are open to working closely with industry partners. Additionally, applicants are expected to be based in or have strong connections to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Participants in the program benefit from clearly defined use cases aligned with industry needs, access to corporate decision-makers, and support in designing pilot projects. Selected startups may receive up to US$20,000 in catalytic funding to support deployment. The program also provides technical and commercial readiness support, along with pathways to future investment and access to global markets.
For industry partners, Upwell offers access to a curated pipeline of innovative solutions tailored to specific challenges. It enables structured collaboration with startups from initial scoping through pilot execution, helping organizations align innovation efforts with sustainability goals and operational priorities while reducing the risks associated with testing new technologies.
Technical validation for eligibility means that a solution has progressed beyond the conceptual stage and demonstrated early feasibility. This can include lab testing, functional systems, or measurable performance against defined technical parameters. However, the program does not require a fully commercial-ready product, as it is specifically designed to support further validation and adaptation through pilot deployments.
For more information, visit Upwell.
