AltaSea

What AltaSea does

AltaSea is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public-private ocean institute headquartered at a 35-acre waterfront campus at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California. The organization operates as a physical incubator and convening platform for the blue economy, leasing specialized infrastructure — including wet and dry laboratories, 3,000 linear feet of deep-water dock space, 4,100 linear feet of waterfront wharf, circulating seawater systems, drone test pads, and a 2.2 MW rooftop solar array — to ocean-technology startups and research institutions across sectors such as marine renewable energy, sustainable aquaculture, ocean-based carbon capture, marine robotics, and ecosystem restoration. Its tenant roster includes 27-40+ active blue-economy companies (Eco Wave Power, Blue Robotics, Sperra, Seatopia, Captura, Braid Theory, Equatic, Kelp Ark), with Blue Robotics anchoring the campus via a 10-year, 49,000 sq ft lease signed in December 2025.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit operating across four revenue streams: tenant leasing of warehouse, lab, and waterfront space; donations and fundraising (anchored by the annual Blue Hour gala); event venue rental at the Land's End Berth 60 facility (up to 2,000 guests); and grants and government funding (including $12 million in matched state/port construction capital, a $1.1 million LA Regional Consortium workforce grant, and ongoing foundation support). Programs wrap around the real-estate platform — most notably BlueSEA (a business support program connecting tenants with research institutions, investors, regulators, and press), the Ocean STEM Education Platform (K-12 curriculum, field trips, mentorship, and an ATLAS experiential learning partnership with USC Viterbi), and the Ocean Career Pathways paid internship program. The organization is led by CEO Terry Tamminen (former California EPA Secretary under Governor Schwarzenegger), COO/Founder Jenny Cornuelle Krusoe, Board Chairman Greg Thorpe (O'Melveny), with a 11-50 person staff complement. Forward strategy emphasizes international coalition-building through the 2025-launched Deep Blue Decade Initiative, completion of the 45,000 sq ft Center for Education and Engagement at Berth 57 by 2027, and workforce development partnerships with a 14-college LA consortium and USC Sea Grant.

Name

AltaSea

Legal name

AltaSea

Website

https://altasea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AltaSea is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 35-acre waterfront ocean-technology campus at the Port of Los Angeles, leasing lab and dock infrastructure to 27+ blue-economy tenants while running business support (BlueSEA), STEM education, and workforce development programs for startups, students, and research institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Pedro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tenant Leasing: AltaSea leases workspace and laboratory facilities to blue economy businesses and ocean technology companies at its 35-acre campus in the Port of Los Angeles.
2. Donations and Fundraising: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, AltaSea relies on charitable donations and fundraising events such as the annual Blue Hour gala to support operations and educational programs.
3. Event Hosting: Revenue from hosting events at Land's End Berth 60 venue including galas, concerts, conferences, and corporate events.
4. Grants and Government Funding: Funding received from government sources including the State of California ($6 million matched by Port of Los Angeles) and the LA Regional Consortium ($1.1 million grant).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AltaSea operates a 35-acre ocean technology campus at the Port of Los Angeles providing wet/dry lab space, deep-water dock access, and waterfront infrastructure to blue economy businesses through tenant leasing. The organization runs the BlueSEA business support program connecting ocean innovators with research institutions, funders, and regulators, while operating Ocean STEM education programs, paid internship pathways, and the Land's End event venue.

Product overview

AltaSea is a nonprofit public-private ocean institute offering a 35-acre waterfront campus for ocean research and blue technology innovation at the Port of Los Angeles. The organization provides physical infrastructure (wet/dry labs, docking facilities, seawater systems), business acceleration programs (BlueSEA), and education initiatives (Ocean STEM curriculum, mentorship, internships). Key facilities include the Center for Innovation (Berths 58-60) with 225,000 sq ft of research space and a 2.2MW rooftop solar array, and the upcoming Center for Education and Engagement (Berth 57) expected by 2027. Additional offerings include the annual Blue Hour fundraiser event and Growing Oceans Initiative for marine carbon research. The campus hosts over 40 business tenants and partners with educational institutions for workforce development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 35-acre campus supports 27+ active tenants in blue economy sectors
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• USC Sea Grant ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026AltaSea and USC Sea Grant launched a three-year partnership to accelerate innovation, workforce development, and community engagement in the blue economy. The collaboration focuses on strengthening maritime stakeholder relationships, creating workforce training for port and marine transportation careers, and developing strategies to help ports adapt to climate change.
• World Trade Center Barcelona / BlueTechPortmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Letter of Understanding signed to establish strategic partnership focused on accelerating ocean-based climate solutions and strengthening blue economy ecosystems. Connects stakeholders including startups, researchers, investors, and public institutions with initiatives spanning best practice sharing, accelerator program exchanges, conference coordination, and pilot project exchange program.
• Los Angeles Harbor College / 14-College ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026$1.1 million grant from LA Regional Consortium funds curriculum development across regenerative aquaculture, ocean renewable energy, blue tech, and ecosystem restoration through partnership with 14 community colleges.
• Blue Economy & Climate Action Pathways (BECAP) SummitminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026AltaSea participated in LA's BECAP Summit bringing together educational institutions, industry leaders, and government partners to develop workforce programs for ocean-related industries including aquaculture and renewable energy.
• Blue RoboticscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2025Blue Robotics signed a 10-year lease for a 49,000-square-foot headquarters and production facility at AltaSea, nearly twice the size of its Torrance offices. The underwater marine robotics company relocated R&D operations and production for its BlueROV2 and other marine robotics products to the San Pedro campus.
• Eco Wave PowercoreTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2025Eco Wave Power operates its U.S. wave energy pilot station at AltaSea's Port of Los Angeles location, using floaters attached to coastal structures to convert ocean waves into clean electricity. The project was named to TIME's 2025 Best Inventions list and was highlighted in NVIDIA's corporate blog for its AI-powered wave energy technology.
• Shell Marine Renewable EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Shell's Marine Renewable Program backs Eco Wave Power's pilot project at the Port of Los Angeles, representing the first-ever onshore wave energy installation in the United States. Shell provides funding and technical support for wave energy technology development.
• CapturacoreTechnology or IntegrationClimate technology company pioneering ocean-based carbon removal using renewable energy and advanced electrochemical methods to remove CO2 from seawater. Operating barge at AltaSea campus.
• Braid TheorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable blue economy business innovator established on AltaSea campus in 2019 as Advisory and Accelerator tenant; co-producer of Ocean Tech Showcase events.
• Ocean VisionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent partner organization focused on ocean-based climate solutions.
• Ocean Exploration Trust / E/V NautiluscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Dr. Bob Ballard's Ocean Exploration Trust provides STEM education programs to LAUSD middle schools; Nautilus uses AltaSea as winter home.
• Hugo NeuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in bicoastal Ocean Pathways High School Mentorship Program with NY/NJ Baykeeper.
• GenslercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorld-leading architecture and design firm completed design of 35-acre campus; Architectural Digest called AltaSea 'one of the most exciting new projects in Los Angeles.'
• Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAltaSea Board Vice Chair Matt Horton is VP at LAEDC; organization provides economic research and policy support for blue economy development.
• Port of Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner$6 million matched funding from Port of Los Angeles for construction of Berth 58 Center for Innovation; Port provides 50-year lease and $57 million capital investment for site rehabilitation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Newlab: Brooklyn Navy Yard-based innovation hub offering lab and prototyping space to frontier-tech startups. Comparable operating model to AltaSea as a waterfront innovation campus with deep-water access, though focused on broader frontier tech rather than ocean-specific sectors.
• Schmidt Ocean Institute: Private operating foundation supporting ocean science and technology development through research vessel operations and grants. Comparable as a private philanthropic backer of ocean technology R&D and exploration, though without a physical tenant-leasing model.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography: UC San Diego's ocean and earth sciences research unit and one of the oldest oceanographic institutions in the U.S. Comparable as a California-based ocean science institution, though primarily academic rather than focused on commercial blue-economy acceleration.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: The largest independent oceanographic research institution in the U.S., conducting marine science, engineering, and education. Broadly comparable as an ocean science and education platform, but at vastly larger scale and with a national/global research mission versus AltaSea's applied innovation focus.

Direct peers

• Greentown Labs: Largest cleantech incubator in North America, operating a physical campus where hardware and climate-tech startups build, prototype, and scale. Directly comparable as a sector-specific incubator with physical lab/workspace infrastructure, accelerator programming, and a sponsor-driven funding model.
• Ocean Institute: Dana Point, California-based marine science education nonprofit offering ocean STEM programs and camps. Direct comparable as a California marine-education nonprofit; AltaSea's Director of Advancement Services previously worked there, evidencing direct ecosystem overlap.
• Maritime Blue: Washington-state nonprofit cluster organization convening maritime and ocean-tech stakeholders to grow the blue economy. Highly comparable to AltaSea as a port-adjacent blue economy convener and accelerator, though operating in the Pacific Northwest rather than Southern California.

Regional players

• Port of San Diego: California port authority actively developing blue economy initiatives and nature-based coastal protection, with a partnership history referenced in AltaSea's content. Operates in a different geography but pursues overlapping blue-economy strategy and is cited as a peer port in the Deep Blue Decade Initiative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/altaseaorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AltaSea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/altasea
• Instagraminstagram.com/altasea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 AltaSea