Schmidt Marine Technology Partners
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners is a private grantmaking program of the Schmidt Family Foundation that provides non-dilutive funding (typically $100,000–$400,000 grants) to universities, non-profits, and start-ups developing marine technologies across Sustainable Fisheries, Ocean Observing, Habitat Health, and Network Support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersNot specified, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Schmidt Marine Technology Partners does
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners is a private grantmaking program of the Schmidt Family Foundation (founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt) that funds the development of innovative marine technologies aimed at restoring and protecting ocean health. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in the United States, the organization operates globally, accepting proposals from universities, for-profits, and non-profits across all geographic regions. Its portfolio is organized around four focus areas: Sustainable Fisheries (bycatch reduction, anti-illegal-fishing technology, supply-chain transparency), Ocean Observing (low-cost sensors, novel power sources, corrosion and biofouling prevention), Habitat Health (kelp, seagrass, shellfish, and coral restoration plus coastal pollution prevention), and Network Support (incubators, accelerators, challenges, and community infrastructure).
Schmidt Marine is not a technology vendor — it does not develop or sell proprietary products, and it has no AI/ML capabilities of its own. Its core deliverable is non-dilutive grantmaking administered through a time-bound Proposal Portal (open June 1 – July 31, 2026 for the current cycle). Most grants range from $100,000 to $400,000 over 12-month terms, with the majority of grantees receiving annual renewals for three years or more based on progress. Alongside the funding portal, it operates complementary community infrastructure: the Ocean Job Board (powered by Getro, hosting 693+ listings), a curated Resources Portal (open-access tools like Bristlemouth, Ocean Visions, ProtectedSeas Navigator, Kelpwatch), and an events program (Marine Tech Mixers, Sustainable Fishing Showcase, Deep Thoughts with Triton Subs).
Its ecosystem includes 40+ named partner organizations spanning Stone Aerospace, Wibotic, Ocean Diagnostics, Future Ocean Labs at MIT, WHOI, University of Washington, Sofar Ocean, Global Fishing Watch, Oceanswell, and Sea Ranger Service, among others. The organization also co-invests alongside other philanthropies — e.g., a €1.6 million 2025 round for SeaForester with BlueInvest and WWF. Revenue is internally funded by the Schmidt Family Foundation; Schmidt Marine does not publish separate financials, and operating geographies are global with no disclosed restrictions.
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Schmidt Marine Technology Partners
- Legal name
- Schmidt Marine Technology Partners
- Website
- https://schmidtmarine.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Schmidt Marine Technology Partners is a private grantmaking program of the Schmidt Family Foundation that provides non-dilutive funding (typically $100,000–$400,000 grants) to universities, non-profits, and start-ups developing marine technologies across Sustainable Fisheries, Ocean Observing, Habitat Health, and Network Support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropic Grantmaking for Marine Technology
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)
Keywords
Where Schmidt Marine Technology Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Not specified
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Grant Funding: As a program of the Schmidt Family Foundation, Schmidt Marine provides non-dilutive funding in the form of grants to universities, non-profit organizations, and start-up companies developing ocean technologies. Most grants range from $100,000 to $400,000 with 12-month terms, though many projects receive annual renewals for three years or more based on progress.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Standard Grant Range |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners is a private grantmaking foundation that provides non-dilutive funding to universities, non-profits, and start-ups developing innovative marine technologies. Grants typically range from $100,000 to $400,000 over 12-month terms, with most projects receiving annual renewals for three years or more. The organization also runs an Ocean Job Board and a curated Resources Portal supporting the broader marine technology community.
Product overview
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners is a grantmaking foundation that supports the development of innovative marine technologies to restore and protect ocean health. Rather than a single unified product, the organization operates a portfolio of interconnected programs: the Proposal Portal for funding applications (using Airtable), an Ocean Job Board powered by Getro for marine industry employment, and four thematic Focus Areas (Sustainable Fisheries, Ocean Observing, Habitat Health, and Network Support) that guide their grantmaking priorities. The Resources Portal complements these by providing curated tools and databases for the marine tech community.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Proposal Portal An online application system, built on Airtable, that accepts short project synopsis proposals from universities, for-profits, and non-profits developing innovative ocean technologies with significant scaling or commercialization potential. The portal operates on a seasonal schedule with full proposals requested for selected candidates.
- Ocean Job Board A free job board platform operated in partnership with Getro Inc., linking to career pages of ocean organizations. Provides access to ocean conservation and research positions, with applications going directly to hiring organizations.
- Resources Portal A curated collection of open-access tools, databases, and resources from the ocean tech community, including Bristlemouth, Ocean Visions, Kelpwatch, ProtectedSeas Navigator, and various interactive mapping tools for marine conservation.
- Sustainable Fisheries Funding Program Funding and support for technologies that reduce bycatch, prevent illegal fishing, bring transparency to seafood supply chains, and increase the sustainability of wild-caught fisheries.
- Ocean Observing Funding Program Support for developing technologies such as low-cost sensors, new power sources, and corrosion and biofouling prevention solutions to expand ocean monitoring capabilities.
- Habitat Health Funding Program Initiatives to restore balance to ocean ecosystems, including technologies for restoration and protection of marine species such as seaweed, seagrass, shellfish, and coral, plus coastal pollution prevention.
- Network Support Funding Program Building services and tools to support the operational backbone of the marine tech community, including ocean challenges, incubators, accelerators, community infrastructure, and regional technology deployment.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supported SeaForester with €1.6 million funding from BlueInvest, WWF, and Schmidt Marine combined
Companies that use Schmidt Marine Technology Partners
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Stone AerospaceminorPartner developing the Sunfish, an autonomous underwater vehicle capable of exploring and mapping underwater environments. Located in Austin, TX.
- WiboticminorPartner developing wireless underwater power-transfer technology. Located in Seattle, WA.
- Ocean DiagnosticsminorPartner building MantaRay, the first autonomous microplastic sampler for multiple platforms. Located in Victoria, BC.
- Future Ocean Labs at MITminorPartner building an open-source family of very low-cost, low-power acoustic modems for data transfer. Located in Cambridge, MA.
- WHOI (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)minorPartner developing sensors for dissolved gasses and diving-operated submersible chemiluminescent sensors for marine chemistry measurement. Located in Woods Hole, MA.
- Sofar OceanminorPartner building tethered underwater drones like the Trident for ocean exploration. Located in San Francisco, CA.
- University of WashingtonminorPartner developing next-generation salinity sensors using carbon nanotube technology for oceanographic use. Located in Seattle, WA.
- Global Fishing WatchminorPartner organization (non-profit technology partnership between SkyTruth, Oceana, and Google) working on ocean transparency and fishing activity monitoring. Has posted job opportunities on Schmidt Marine Job Board.
- OceanswellminorPartner organization, Sri Lanka's first marine conservation research and education organization. Located in Weligama Bay, Sri Lanka.
- Sea Ranger ServiceminorPartner training unemployed youth for jobs monitoring marine protected areas. Located in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Conservation X Labs: A foundation-backed venture that funds and incubates technology solutions for conservation challenges. Highly comparable mission and model—philanthropic funding of early-stage (TRL 2–6) conservation technologies with non-dilutive grants and incubation support.
- Schmidt Sciences: A sister Schmidt family philanthropic program focused on science and technology advancement. Directly comparable as a sibling program funded by the same Schmidt Family Foundation endowment, channeling non-dilutive grants into frontier technology domains with a similar operational playbook.
- Schmidt Futures: Another sister Schmidt family initiative funding talent and applied research. Comparable as part of the same philanthropic ecosystem with parallel non-dilutive grant programs targeting ambitious, early-stage science and technology work.
- OceanX: An ocean-focused nonprofit advancing marine exploration, science, and storytelling. Comparable as a private philanthropic vehicle specifically directing resources toward advancing understanding and conservation of the ocean.
Emerging players
- Builders Vision: A private foundation (also connected to the Schmidt family ecosystem) channeling philanthropic and investment capital toward ocean health and climate solutions. Comparable as a marine/climate-aligned grantmaking and catalytic-capital vehicle, with overlapping focus on deploying non-dilutive resources into early-stage ocean innovations.
Broad incumbents
- The Nature Conservancy: The world's largest environmental nonprofit, with substantial marine habitat protection and restoration programs. Comparable as a major ocean conservation funder, though it spans terrestrial and freshwater work as well and operates more through direct programs than tech-focused grantmaking.
- Pew Charitable Trusts (Ocean Conservation): A major US foundation running a long-standing marine/ocean conservation program focused on fisheries, marine protected areas, and ocean governance. Comparable as a large, established environmental grantmaker operating in the same ocean domain.
- Open Philanthropy: A large effective-altruism-aligned foundation making science and global-catastrophic-risk grants, including ocean-related work. Comparable as a high-capacity science-focused grantmaker identifying and funding under-resourced applied research areas.
- Bloomberg Philanthropies (Ocean Initiative): A large diversified philanthropy that includes a significant ocean conservation initiative funding marine protected areas and sustainable fisheries. Comparable as a major philanthropic funder in overlapping ocean focus areas, though part of a much broader portfolio.
Regional players
- BlueInvest (European Commission): EU-funded platform mobilizing investment into the blue economy, including co-funding of marine ventures such as SeaForester alongside Schmidt Marine. Comparable as a co-investor in the same marine-tech deal flow, though based in Europe and structured as an EU program rather than a US foundation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners social profiles
Digital presenceSchmidt Marine Technology Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments4 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Schmidt Marine Technology Partners
What does Schmidt Marine Technology Partners do?
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners is a private grantmaking foundation that provides non-dilutive funding to universities, non-profits, and start-ups developing innovative marine technologies. Grants typically range from $100,000 to $400,000 over 12-month terms, with most projects receiving annual renewals for three years or more. The organization also runs an Ocean Job Board and a curated Resources Portal supporting the broader marine technology community.
Is Schmidt Marine Technology Partners a public or private company?
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Schmidt Marine Technology Partners founded?
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners was founded in 2017.
Where is Schmidt Marine Technology Partners based?
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners is headquartered in Not specified, United States, in the North America region.
How does Schmidt Marine Technology Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant Funding.
Who are Schmidt Marine Technology Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Conservation X Labs, Schmidt Sciences, Schmidt Futures and OceanX. Builders Vision is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are The Nature Conservancy, Pew Charitable Trusts (Ocean Conservation), Open Philanthropy and Bloomberg Philanthropies (Ocean Initiative). BlueInvest (European Commission) is listed as a regional player.
Does Schmidt Marine Technology Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Schmidt Marine Technology Partners.
What industry is Schmidt Marine Technology Partners in?
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners's product category is Philanthropic Grantmaking for Marine Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAM, Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAI, Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211.