New England Ocean Cluster

What New England Ocean Cluster does

New England Ocean Cluster (NEOC) is a private-sector, membership-based incubator and co-working organization serving the Blue Economy, headquartered at 68 Commercial Street on the historic Portland, Maine waterfront. Founded in 2015 as a sister cluster to the Iceland Ocean Cluster through a partnership between Þór Sigfusson and Soli DG Inc. (which serves as the initial investor and managing partner), NEOC operates The Hús — a 20-office, 14-workstation collaborative workspace opened in March 2020 after a multi-year buildout. The organization supports ocean-minded entrepreneurs through four core programs: Inclusion in the Blue Economy (sponsored 6-month residencies for underrepresented founders), The Hatchery (a general-purpose incubator for pre-revenue founders launched January 2024), the Soft Landing Program (US market entry support for international companies), and the Entrepreneurship in the Blue Economy (EITBE) event series.

NEOC's revenue is generated through a tiered co-working membership model ($40/day passes, $250/month floating, $375/month dedicated desk, $1,250+/month private office), supplemented by event programming and venue rentals, and materially supported by corporate sponsorship and grant funding from partners including Bristol Seafood (founding Inclusion sponsor) and the Transforming the Blue Economy consortium (which underwrites the free-to-participant Soft Landing and Inclusion programs). The customer base spans seafood and aquaculture, maritime equipment, ocean-adjacent travel/tourism, skincare, F&B, and healthcare startups, with international members from Australia, Chile, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and the Netherlands participating in the Soft Landing pipeline. Academic partnerships with the University of Southern Maine and University of Maine School of Law provide internship and research support to Hatchery participants.

The organization runs a lean operation with a core team of four (CEO, COO/CMO, Marketing Coordinator, and the Soli DG-affiliated VP) and has disclosed only $25,000 in funding from the Maine Technology Institute since inception. NEOC positions itself as the only Blue Economy-focused cluster in New England, with a "rising tide" philosophy emphasizing collaboration over competition among members, and pursues earned media coverage (Boston Globe, Civil Eats, WBZ News) to build regional and national brand recognition for the cluster model.

Name

New England Ocean Cluster

Legal name

New England Ocean Cluster

Website

https://newenglandoceancluster.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New England Ocean Cluster is a Portland, Maine-based Blue Economy incubator operating the waterfront co-working space The Hús, with tiered memberships and structured programs supporting ocean-focused startups, underrepresented founders, and international companies entering the US market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Incubation & Coworking Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Blue economy incubation
• Waterfront coworking space
• Ocean entrepreneurship
• Marine business accelerator
• Innovation cluster services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Co-working Membership Fees: Recurring membership revenue from workspace rental at The Hús, including Day Passes ($40/day), Floating membership ($250/month), Dedicated Desk ($375/month), and Private Office ($1250+/month). Membership provides access to workspace, meeting rooms, amenities, and community network.
2. Sponsorships & Grants: Transforming the Blue Economy program is funded by project partners and sponsors including Bristol Seafood (founding sponsor of Inclusion in the Blue Economy). No participation fee for inclusion program thanks to sponsor support.
3. Event Programming: Events such as Entrepreneurship in the Blue Economy series, Walk the Working Waterfront, and Arctic Circle Assembly create engagement and visibility, potentially generating revenue through sponsorships and attendance fees.
4. Event Space Rental: The Hús offers event hosting capabilities including scenic views, wrap-around balcony, and waterfront location. Private event rentals generate additional revenue for tenants and the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

New England Ocean Cluster operates The Hús, a waterfront collaborative co-working workspace on the Maine Wharf in Portland, Maine, offering day passes, floating desks, dedicated desks, and private offices. It runs four structured programs—Inclusion in the Blue Economy, The Hatchery, Soft Landing Program, and the Entrepreneurship in the Blue Economy (EITBE) series—to incubate, accelerate, and support ocean-minded entrepreneurs, startups, and international companies pursuing North American market entry.

Product overview

The New England Ocean Cluster operates as a private-sector, membership-based organization that serves as a hub for the Blue Economy. Its portfolio consists of The Hús, a waterfront collaborative workspace in Portland, Maine offering multiple membership tiers (Day Pass, Floating, Desk, and Office), and four core programs under the Transforming the Blue Economy initiative: Inclusion in the Blue Economy (supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs), The Hatchery (inclusive incubator), Soft Landing Program (international market entry), and the Entrepreneurship in the Blue Economy (EITBE) event series. The organization connects purpose-driven people and organizations to create value and discover sustainable growth opportunities in marine industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Hús: Collaborative waterfront workspace located at 68 Commercial Street, Portland, Maine, designed to support the ocean-minded constituency of the Blue Economy
• Transforming the Blue Economy
• Inclusion in the Blue Economy
• Soft Landing Program
• The Hatchery
• Entrepreneurship in the Blue Economy (EITBE)

Products and services

• The Hús Coworking Membership
• Inclusion in the Blue Economy
• The Hatchery
• Soft Landing Program
• Transforming the Blue Economy (TBE)
• Event Space Rental at The Hús

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 interdisciplinary women-led companies supported through Inclusion in the Blue Economy with measurable outcomes including incorporation, job creation, IP development, and grant awards
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bristol SeafoodcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2020Founding sponsor of Inclusion in the Blue Economy program. Opened office at NEOC since inception in 2015. President's alignment with NEOC's mission to grow Blue Economy. Focus on sustainability, innovation, and local seafood economy.
• Iceland Ocean Cluster (IOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister cluster headquartered in Reykjavik. NEOC was created in partnership with Þor Sigfusson, Founder and Chairman of IOC. Goal is to connect people within the ocean economy and encourage innovative and sustainable approaches to economic opportunity, modeled after IOC's success.
• University of Southern MaineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEOC collaborates with USM and its Honors Program offering undergraduate internships for workforce development experience with academic credit. Connected to Maine Economic Improvement Fund. Students provide research support for Hatchery participants.
• University of Maine School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer 2020 pilot program with Maine Law and Maine Regulatory Training and Ethics Center giving law students opportunity to apply skills to industry.
• Maine Center VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent collaborator for Entrepreneurship in the Blue Economy (EITBE) series alongside Startup Maine. Collaborative programming to support ocean-related startups.
• Startup MaineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent collaborator for Entrepreneurship in the Blue Economy (EITBE) series. Co-organizer of Startup Maine Week 2025 and networking events.
• Portland Regional Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Eggs and Issues event featuring NEOC, Bristol Seafood, University of Southern Maine, and University of Maine Graduate & Professional Center.
• World Ocean ObservatoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner for Transforming the Blue Economy initiative.
• Innovation Cohort at Maine Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast participant and collaborator. Innovation Cohort at Maine Medical Center represented by Kate Haroff and Dr. Jenn Monti in Inclusion in the Blue Economy program.
• Maine North Atlantic InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity support partner for Visualizing Maine & the North Atlantic event collaboration with University of Southern Maine.
• University of Southern Maine Art DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of Visualizing Maine & the North Atlantic event exploring intersection of art and science.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Iceland Ocean Cluster: Headquartered in Reykjavik, the Iceland Ocean Cluster is the original sister cluster and direct model partner for NEOC, founded by Þór Sigfusson. It operates the same hub-and-cluster model for ocean economy entrepreneurs and is the closest comparable in mission, structure, and program design.
• HATCH: Norway-based accelerator focused on aquaculture and Blue Economy startups. Comparable as a Blue Economy-specific accelerator serving a similar founder base, though focused narrowly on aquaculture rather than the broader ocean economy.
• BlueTech Cluster Alliance: International alliance of Blue Economy and water-technology clusters. NEOC is a member, making this a directly comparable cluster-network peer that operates with similar mission and constituency.
• The Maritime Alliance: San Diego-based nonprofit cluster promoting maritime industry and Blue Economy through programming, networking, and BlueTech Week events. Comparable as a Blue Economy cluster organization, though operating in a more mature maritime market on the US West Coast.
• Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA): Global organization supporting ocean-focused entrepreneurs through accelerators, summits, and a youth network. Comparable as a Blue Economy entrepreneur support platform, though operating at a more global scale and with less emphasis on physical co-working infrastructure.
• Centre for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE): Canadian ocean-tech incubator and co-working facility in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia serving marine technology startups. Directly comparable in offering (workspace + programs + international partnerships) and Blue Economy focus, though operating in a different national market.

Others

• World Ocean Council: International cross-sectoral alliance for ocean industry leadership and sustainable ocean use. Comparable as a Blue Economy convening and network organization, but operates as a membership-based industry alliance rather than a startup incubator with physical space.

Broad incumbents

• CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center): Large operator of co-working and innovation space with strong Boston/Cambridge presence. Comparable in providing tiered co-working memberships and event space, but operates at much larger scale and is industry-agnostic.
• Greentown Labs: Largest cleantech startup incubator in North America, based in Somerville, Massachusetts. Comparable as a climate-vertical incubator/co-working operator in the same US Northeast region, but focused on terrestrial cleantech rather than ocean-specific.
• MassChallenge: Global startup accelerator with a Boston presence and ocean/marine cohorts. Comparable as a sector-aware accelerator model with co-working elements, but operates at significantly larger scale and across all industries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/newenglandoceancluster
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/neoc
• Instagraminstagram.com/neoceancluster
• Xx.com/neoceancluster

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New England Ocean Cluster