Ocearch
OCEARCH is a US nonprofit that operates the M/V OCEARCH research vessel and a free Global Shark Tracker platform to tag, track, and study sharks and other marine animals, serving educators, scientists, conservation supporters, and corporate sponsors worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersPark City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ocearch does
OCEARCH is a US-registered nonprofit ocean research organization founded in 2011/2012, headquartered in Park City, Utah with operational offices in New York and a developing Global Headquarters in Mayport, Jacksonville, Florida. It operates the M/V OCEARCH, an 85-foot research vessel equipped with a 75,000 lb-capacity hydraulic platform that serves as a floating laboratory, enabling a multi-disciplinary team to safely lift, sample, tag, and release large marine animals including white sharks, tiger sharks, and sea turtles.
OCEARCH's core technological platform consists of three tag families — SPOT (Smart Position and Temperature) satellite tags mounted on the dorsal fin with up to five-year battery life, surgically implanted acoustic tags with up to ten-year lifespan, and Pop-off Archival Satellite Tags (PSAT) that record depth, temperature, and light for six to twelve months before detaching — combined with the OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker, a free online platform and mobile application (iOS/Android) that publishes near-real-time pings to a 1.5M+ user base. The organization has conducted 48+ global research expeditions, tagged over 470 animals, and contributed to 92+ peer-reviewed publications. Supporting products include a free K-8 STEM curriculum, the Meet a Shark Sweepstakes, and an e-commerce merchandise shop where 100% of proceeds fund research.
OCEARCH's business model is a diversified nonprofit revenue mix: individual donations, corporate sponsorships (Caterpillar, SeaWorld, AWS, Rogue Sharks are named partners), grant funding (e.g., SeaWorld Conservation Fund), sweepstakes entry fees, and merchandise sales. Its customer base spans educators and K-8 students, consumer shark enthusiasts, scientific collaborators across 100+ institutions, and corporate cause-marketing partners, with operations across the USA, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, the UK, and Australia.
Ocearch firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ocearch
- Legal name
- OCEARCH
- Website
- https://ocearch.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OCEARCH is a US nonprofit that operates the M/V OCEARCH research vessel and a free Global Shark Tracker platform to tag, track, and study sharks and other marine animals, serving educators, scientists, conservation supporters, and corporate sponsors worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ocearch industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marine Research & Conservation
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI)
Keywords
Where Ocearch is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Park City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Ocearch business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: OCEARCH accepts donations from individuals to support shark research and ocean conservation. Matching gift programs are available through employer programs.
- Corporate Sponsorship: OCEARCH offers corporate sponsorship opportunities for companies looking to align with ocean conservation and shark research initiatives.
- Merchandise Sales: 100% of proceeds from OCEARCH gear (shop.ocearch.org) supports research and education programs.
- Grants and Conservation Funding: OCEARCH receives grants from organizations such as the SeaWorld Conservation Fund to support ongoing shark research.
- Sweepstakes Entry Fees: OCEARCH hosts sweepstakes (Meet a Shark Sweepstakes) where entry fees support the mission.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Global Shark Tracker App |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free STEM Curriculum |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | OCEARCH Merchandise |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Ocearch product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OCEARCH operates the M/V OCEARCH research vessel to conduct at-sea shark and marine animal research expeditions using satellite (SPOT), acoustic, and archival (PSAT) tags to safely capture, sample, tag, and release marine animals. The organization shares resulting tracking data publicly in real time through its free Global Shark Tracker web platform and mobile application, supports K-8 STEM classrooms with a free curriculum, and funds operations through donations, corporate sponsorships, and branded merchandise sales.
Product overview
OCEARCH operates as a non-profit ocean research organization offering a unified product ecosystem centered on its Global Shark Tracker platform and mobile application for real-time marine animal tracking. The core offering consists of research expeditions that tag sharks and other marine species using satellite (SPOT), acoustic, and archival (PSAT) tags, with data displayed through the free Shark Tracker. Supporting products include a free K-8 STEM curriculum for classroom education, the Meet a Shark Sweepstakes fundraising program, an e-commerce shop (where 100% of proceeds fund research), and access to peer-reviewed scientific publications. The organization functions as a data-sharing research entity rather than a commercial software company.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker: Free real-time tracking platform for following sharks, turtles, dolphins, and other marine animals globally
- OCEARCH STEM Curriculum
- Meet a Shark Sweepstakes
- M/V OCEARCH
Products and services
- OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker A real-time online tracking platform that displays the movements of tagged marine animals (sharks, turtles, dolphins) on interactive maps, allowing users worldwide to follow animals such as Contender, Nukumi, and Mary Lee as they navigate the oceans.
- OCEARCH Shark Tracker Free App A free mobile application available on iOS and Android that provides real-time shark ping notifications, species facts, and field updates, enabling users to track tagged marine animals directly from their mobile devices.
- Free STEM Curriculum A K-8 educational program with lesson plans in physics, math, biology, chemistry, social sciences, and geography that integrates OCEARCH tracking data to teach STEM skills through real-world marine research applications for teachers and homeschool families.
- Research Expeditions At-sea research expeditions conducted aboard the M/V OCEARCH vessel, which serves as a floating laboratory with a 75,000 lb. capacity hydraulic platform designed to safely lift marine animals for scientific sampling, tagging, and release.
- Global White Shark Project A long-term research initiative started in 2012 to study white shark life history in the Northwest Atlantic, involving satellite and acoustic tagging to track migration patterns and habitat use.
- Meet a Shark Sweepstakes A fundraising sweepstakes program that offers participants the chance to join the OCEARCH crew on research expeditions, with prizes including meeting tagged sharks and other ocean-related experiences.
- OCEARCH Shop An e-commerce store selling branded OCEARCH merchandise (apparel, accessories, gear) where 100% of proceeds fund the organization's research and education programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- 92 published peer-reviewed scientific papers supporting ocean management policies
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ocearch
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ocearch technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Ocearch partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Rogue SharkscoreOCEARCH and Rogue Sharks announced a new strategic partnership to protect oceans. The partnership focuses on collaborative conservation efforts for shark protection.
- Caterpillar Inc.corePartnership with Caterpillar Inc. for white shark research, specifically the Kimberly shark in the southwest Australian population.
- City of Jacksonville and State of FloridaflagshipStrong support from the City of Jacksonville and State of Florida for establishing OCEARCH's new Global Headquarters in Mayport, Jacksonville, Florida.
- Jacksonville UniversitycoreDr. Bryan Franks, Assistant Professor of Marine Science at Jacksonville University, serves as OCEARCH collaborating scientist.
- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research / Caretta Research ProjectcoreCollaboration for tagging, sampling, and releasing loggerhead sea turtles including Wassaw Will.
- Tancook Islands Marine Field StationcoreCollaboration for tagging white shark Goodall in the Tancook Islands region.
- SeaWorldcoreDr. Gisele Montano, reproductive research associate at SeaWorld, has participated in two OCEARCH expeditions. SeaWorld provides ultrasound machine for expeditions to study shark reproduction.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreOCEARCH leverages AWS Open Data to advance shark science, utilizing cloud infrastructure for data management.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ocearch competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Schmidt Ocean Institute: Private nonprofit operating a dedicated ocean research vessel (R/V Falkor) to support global marine science expeditions and open-data sharing. Closest comparable to OCEARCH's vessel-based, open-data, expedition-driven model, but with a larger institutional budget.
- Shark Research Institute: Nonprofit dedicated specifically to shark research, conservation, and public education, operating global tagging programs. Most species-focused comparable to OCEARCH's core white-shark work, though with a smaller public-facing tracking platform.
- Oceana: Large international ocean conservation advocacy nonprofit combining scientific research with policy campaigns. Comparable to OCEARCH in combining science with public engagement and donor-driven funding, but focused on policy advocacy rather than field tagging.
- The Ocean Conservancy: Major U.S.-based ocean conservation nonprofit running research, education, and policy programs with broad donor and corporate support. Comparable operating model (research + education + donations + corporate sponsorships) and overlap in marine species and habitat focus.
Broad incumbents
- Monterey Bay Aquarium: Major aquarium and ocean research/education institution with conservation programs, public engagement, and corporate partnerships. Comparable as a marine-conservation brand with education programming, but much larger and asset-heavy (live animal exhibits).
- National Geographic Society: Large nonprofit funding and producing ocean exploration, research grants, and public-facing science media. Comparable in combining exploration-driven science with public education and donor/sponsor revenue, but operates at vastly greater scale and brand reach.
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Premier global ocean research institution operating multiple vessels, publishing peer-reviewed science, and partnering with government funders. Comparable in marine research output and citation footprint, but institutionally anchored and government-funded rather than donation-led.
Emerging players
- Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Nonprofit marine conservation organization operating vessels for direct-action ocean conservation and public campaigns. Comparable in vessel-based marine conservation and donor-driven funding, but with a more confrontational operational model versus OCEARCH's research-first approach.
- Marine Stewardship Council: Independent nonprofit setting sustainable seafood standards and certifying fisheries, with scientific research and consumer-facing labeling. Comparable as a marine nonprofit with science + public-facing brand, but focused on fisheries certification rather than species tagging.
Regional players
- Wildlife Conservation Society: Large international conservation nonprofit running field research, public education, and policy programs across species including marine wildlife. Comparable as a research-and-education nonprofit with government and donor funding, with broader taxonomic scope and global zoo/aquarium footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ocearch social profiles
Digital presenceOcearch financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ocearch leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Ocearch funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ocearch M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ocearch
What does Ocearch do?
OCEARCH operates the M/V OCEARCH research vessel to conduct at-sea shark and marine animal research expeditions using satellite (SPOT), acoustic, and archival (PSAT) tags to safely capture, sample, tag, and release marine animals. The organization shares resulting tracking data publicly in real time through its free Global Shark Tracker web platform and mobile application, supports K-8 STEM classrooms with a free curriculum, and funds operations through donations, corporate sponsorships, and branded merchandise sales.
Is Ocearch a public or private company?
Ocearch is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ocearch founded?
Ocearch was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ocearch based?
Ocearch is headquartered in Park City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ocearch make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorship, merchandise Sales, grants and Conservation Funding and sweepstakes Entry Fees.
Who are Ocearch's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Schmidt Ocean Institute, Shark Research Institute, Oceana and The Ocean Conservancy. Broad incumbents are Monterey Bay Aquarium, National Geographic Society and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Emerging players are Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Marine Stewardship Council. Wildlife Conservation Society is listed as a regional player.
Does Ocearch have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ocearch.
What industry is Ocearch in?
Ocearch's product category is Marine Research & Conservation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAIAH, Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks), with a secondary code of BPADALAI, Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management.