Heiwa Terrace

What Heiwa Terrace does

Race for Water Foundation, legally registered in Lausanne, Switzerland, is a nonprofit organization founded in 2011 and directed by Marco Simeoni. It operates global maritime expeditions under the LEARN, SHARE, ACT program framework to study ocean plastic pollution, raise public awareness, and demonstrate zero-emission shipping technology. The foundation has completed two prior Odysseys (2015 aboard MOD70; 2017-2021 aboard a solar-hydrogen-kite vessel) covering 40 stopovers across 25 countries, and has launched a third Odyssey (2025-2027) aboard the new MODX 70 catamaran focused on the ocean-climate nexus, with initial deployment in Marseille and Nice.

The foundation does not sell products or services; its activity platform is a fleet of innovative vessels that double as scientific research platforms, public engagement venues, and technology demonstrators. The MODX 70, designed by Ocean Développement with Aeroforce automated wing sails, combines wind propulsion, solar energy, and onboard hydrogen generation. Outputs include scientific publications, the documentary 'Plastic: A Collective Suicide?' (2024 Festival du Film Vert selection), and a portfolio of educational partnerships (Les Petits Débrouillards, La Fresque Océane, ENSM, GIS Posidonie, IRD, USP, UCN).

Revenue derives from corporate sponsorships and public donations. Main corporate partners are Breguet (Main Partner since 2017) and Plastic Omnium (Official Sponsor since 2018, contributing hydrogen fuel cell technology via Swiss Hydrogen); technology partners include Skysails Yacht, ETIA, and Ocean Développement. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The foundation has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed funding rounds; governance rests on a board and the Race for Water Angels committee.

Name

Heiwa Terrace

Legal name

Race for Water Foundation

Website

https://heiwaterrace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Swiss nonprofit foundation operating global maritime expeditions aboard zero-emission vessels (MODX 70 catamaran) to study ocean plastic pollution, advance shipping decarbonization, and educate the public, funded by corporate sponsors and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ocean Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)

Keywords

• Ocean conservation
• Marine research expeditions
• Environmental education
• Zero-emission vessels
• Plastic pollution research

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: The Race for Water Foundation operates as a charitable organization funded through donations from the public and corporate sponsors. Main partners such as Breguet and Plastic Omnium provide financial and strategic support for the foundation's global expeditions and ocean conservation programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Race for Water Foundation is a Swiss nonprofit organization dedicated to ocean conservation. It operates global expeditions aboard innovative zero-emission vessels (MOD70 trimaran and MODX 70 catamaran) to conduct scientific research on plastic pollution, raise public awareness, and promote sustainable solutions through its LEARN, SHARE, ACT programs. The foundation engages schools, governments, businesses, and civil society via port stopovers, educational workshops, and documentary productions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ocean and Climate Odyssey 2025-2027 Global expedition program focused on demonstrating the importance of decarbonizing maritime transport and preserving ocean health to combat climate change, featuring scientific missions, awareness-raising activities, and disruptive innovation demonstrations.
• Odyssey 2017-2021 Five-year world tour aboard a vessel powered by a mixed solar-hydrogen-kite propulsion system, demonstrating energy transition solutions and conducting research on plastic pollution across global oceans.
• Odyssey 2015 First global expedition analyzing the beaches of islands located within the perimeter of the five oceanic gyres to create the first global inventory of plastic pollution in the oceans, conducted in less than 300 days using the racing trimaran MOD70.
• MODX 70 Zero-Emission Catamaran A revolutionary zero-emission, noise-free catamaran designed by Ocean Développement and Aeroforce, combining wind propulsion via two inflatable retractable Aeroforce wings with electric propulsion powered by solar energy and hydrogen generation. Used as a floating demonstrator platform for the foundation's programs.
• LEARN, SHARE, ACT Programs Structured activity framework combining scientific field investigations (LEARN), awareness-raising among the public, decision-makers and young generations (SHARE), and promotion of sustainable economic, environmental and social solutions (ACT), deployed through global expeditions.
• Scientific Mission Hosting Platform The foundation's vessel serves as a platform for hosting international scientific research missions, providing researchers from universities and institutions access to conduct microplastics sampling, coral studies, and ocean observation in remote maritime locations.
• Microplastics Research Programs Collaborative scientific research programs including WEATHER-MIC (weathering impacts on plastic transport) and EPHEMARE (toxicological effects of microplastics on marine ecosystems), hosted aboard the foundation's vessels with international research partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 stopovers in 25 countries over 10+ years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered network member, scientific partner, official sponsor, main partner, technological partner, core technology partner, technology partner and educational partner.

• Génération Mernetwork memberStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2024Race for Water integrated the Génération Mer network in May 2024. Génération Mer is a collective of players working for the Ocean, initiated by the French Ministry in charge of the Sea. The charter adopted in 2019 sets shared values for ocean preservation. Race for Water collaborates with members of the Génération Mer Expedition Cluster, offering educational pathways to raise awareness about ocean issues.
• IRD New Caledonia (Institute of Research for Sustainable Development)scientific partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2019IRD New Caledonia conducted the AMICi mission (Accumulation of Microplastics in Coral Islands) aboard Race for Water in Prony Bay, New Caledonia. Dr. Claude Payri led the UMR ENTROPIE team studying the impact of metals and microplastics on coral island health, including educational workshops and public conferences.
• Plastic Omniumofficial sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 May 2018Plastic Omnium became the Official Sponsor of Race for Water, committing to preserve the oceans and promote the energy transition. Through its subsidiary Swiss Hydrogen, Plastic Omnium provides fuel cell propulsion technology that converts hydrogen into electricity to power the vessel's electric engine. The partnership spans the Race for Water Odyssey 2017-2021, with 35 planned port stopovers across five continents.
• Breguetmain partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBreguet, the Swiss watchmaking house established since 1775, is a Main Partner supporting the Race for Water Odyssey 2017-2021. Marc A. Hayek, President of Montres Breguet SA, stated the partnership reflects the firm's commitment to preserving oceans using the latest technologies, continuing its heritage of supporting maritime navigation. Abraham-Louis Breguet was appointed watchmaker to the French Royal Navy in 1815.
• Skysails Yachttechnological partnerTechnology or IntegrationSkysails Yacht, founded in 2017, is the technological leader of the market for automated towing kites for yachts. Founded with 15 years of experience from parent company SkySails Group GmbH, its towing kite technology is patented worldwide. The partnership supports the development and deployment of the automated towing kite system aboard Race for Water vessels.
• Océan Développementcore technology partnerTechnology or IntegrationOcéan Développement is the team that designed and developed the MODX 70, the revolutionary zero-emission catamaran serving as Race for Water's new ambassador vessel. Franck David serves as Executive Director of Océan Développement and was a speaker at the Marseille decarbonization seminar.
• Aeroforcetechnology partnerTechnology or IntegrationAeroforce, a team with extensive experience in the design, development, and operation of ships of the future, provides the automated wing sail technology for the MODX 70. Jean Guyon, Executive Director of Aeroforce, spoke at the Marseille seminar on decarbonization of maritime transport. The two inflatable, retractable, and automated Aeroforce wings are key to the vessel's wind propulsion system.
• ETIA (Biogreen Technology)technology partnerTechnology or IntegrationETIA's Biogreen technology, supported by the Race for Water Foundation, transforms plastic waste into electricity. Marco Simeoni and Camille Rollin presented this technology during the Plastic Waste to Energy workshop in Hong Kong, aiming to encourage collection of plastic waste for local treatment through high-temperature pyrolysis.
• GIS Posidoniescientific partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Posidonia Mission is carried out in partnership with GIS Posidonie and supported by the French Biodiversity Agency. The mission aims to acquire updated knowledge on the status of Posidonia meadows at their lower limit along the French Mediterranean coastline, tracing 40 years of evolution from markers installed since 1984.
• Les Petits Débrouillardseducational partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLes Petits Débrouillards, a French scientific mediation organization, partners with Race for Water to deliver interactive educational workshops aboard the vessel. During the Marseille stopover, they led workshops exploring connections between ocean and climate for nearly 200 students.
• La Fresque Océaneeducational partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Fresque Océane partners with Race for Water to deliver the Ocean Collage card game and educational workshops. Used during the Marseille stopover, the program helps students explore ecological services provided by the ocean and threats it faces.
• Université Catholique du Nord (UCN) / ESMOIscientific partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partnership with Dr. Martin Thiel of the Catholic University of the North (UCN) in Chile and Dr. Guillermo Luna-Jorquera, co-director of ESMOI (Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands). Diego Alonso Valverde Labarca conducted three scientific missions between Chilean coasts and Easter Island studying floating debris, microplastics, and seabird impacts.
• University of the South Pacific (USP)scientific partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the School of Marine Studies of the University of South Pacific in Fiji. Andrew Paris, a Fijian scientist from USP, conducted microplastics sampling between Tonga and Fiji aboard Race for Water as part of his Master's thesis on the abundance and distribution of microplastics in Fiji surface waters.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global advocacy coalition focused on reducing plastic pollution. Closely aligned cause area and nonprofit operating model, though more policy/advocacy-driven versus expedition-driven.
• 5 Gyres: Nonprofit focused on plastic-pollution research, education, and policy advocacy, including sailing expeditions. Highly comparable mission (ocean plastic), nonprofit structure, and emphasis on citizen-science engagement.
• Sailors for the Sea: Ocean-conservation nonprofit leveraging the sailing community for advocacy and education. Strongly comparable through the sailing/boating platform for ocean-awareness programs.
• Mission Blue / Sylvia Earle Alliance: Ocean-conservation nonprofit combining expeditions, advocacy, and Hope Spot designations. Comparable in blending scientific missions with high-profile advocacy and policy engagement.
• eXXpedition: Runs sailing-based global expeditions conducting scientific missions on microplastics and ocean health. Closely mirrors Race for Water's vessel-as-research-platform and ocean-advocacy model, targeting similar stakeholders (scientists, policymakers, public).
• The Ocean Cleanup: Technology-driven nonprofit tackling ocean plastic pollution through cleanup systems and research. Comparable ocean-plastic mission and high-visibility advocacy model, though focused on engineered cleanup rather than sailing-based missions.

Broad incumbents

• Surfrider Foundation: Large ocean-conservation nonprofit with beach-based activism, education, and policy work. Comparable mission focus but a broader, beach-anchored operating model with significantly larger scale.
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Established marine-conservation nonprofit known for vessel-based direct-action campaigns. Comparable vessel-led advocacy model, though focused on enforcement and anti-wildlife-trafficking rather than pollution research.
• Ocean Conservancy: Major established ocean-conservation nonprofit with international advocacy and policy programs. Comparable overall mission but operates as a broad incumbent rather than an expedition-led specialist.

Emerging players

• Adventure Scientists: Nonprofit enabling large-scale scientific expeditions and citizen-science data collection in remote environments. Comparable expedition-as-research-platform model applied to conservation and climate research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/multioneattitude
• Facebookfacebook.com/Race-for-Water-Foundation-102452229868291
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heiwa-terrace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Heiwa Terrace