SECORE International

What SECORE International does

SECORE International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Miami, Florida (registered in Ohio), founded in 2015 to develop and scale coral reef restoration techniques based on assisted sexual reproduction. Its flagship methodology, Coral Seeding, collects coral spawn from wild colonies, performs lab fertilization, rears larvae in floating in-situ enclosures called CRIBs, and settles recruits on custom-designed Seeding Units before outplanting. Supporting tools include specialized spawn collection nets, the Coral Tree Collector (which combines seeding with fragmentation), and the Multi Colony Collector.

The organization does not sell restoration as a service to commercial customers; instead it operates a Training and Capacity Building Program that mentors partner organizations over a structured 5-year engagement to independently implement Coral Seeding. As of the input period it had active partners in 11 Caribbean countries, expanded to the Indian Ocean (Mauritius) in 2024, and intends to enter the Pacific in 2026. The Tiered Zoo and Aquarium Partnership Program (members include Columbus Zoo and Aquarium at Platinum, Shedd Aquarium at Gold, and Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium at Silver) provides institutional funding, education, and outreach channels. SECORE also delivers education through the Coral Heroes science comic (available in 12 languages) and publishes Coral Breeding Reference Sheets for four Caribbean species.

Revenue is generated primarily through philanthropic donations, grants from foundations and government agencies (notably a US$1.38M CORDAP-funded project, Revive & Restore support, and DARPA/DoD funding routed via the University of Miami for the X-Reefs hybrid reef project), tiered zoo and aquarium memberships, and merchandise sales through a SpreadShop storefront. Technology and methods are intentionally shared freely with the implementation partner network rather than protected by patents or licensing, with SECORE's competitive position resting on ecosystem depth, scientific talent, field operational expertise, and demonstrated outcomes — including the 2024 peer-reviewed finding that bred corals survived the 2023 Caribbean mass bleaching event while wild corals bleached and died.

Name

SECORE International

Legal name

SECORE International, Inc.

Website

https://secore.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SECORE International is a Miami-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and scales Coral Seeding technology — assisted sexual coral reproduction using CRIB floating nurseries and Seeding Units — and trains partner organizations across the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific to implement reef restoration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coral Reef Conservation and Restoration Services

NAICS

Other Aquaculture (112519), Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511), Animal Production and Aquaculture (112)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquaculture Breeding & Genetics Services (e.g., broodstock improvement) (AFAEAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hatchery, Nursery & Seed Production (aquaculture-specific) (AFAEAAAF), Stock Enhancement & Restocking / Conservation Aquaculture (AFAEAAAO)

Keywords

• Coral reef restoration
• Assisted coral reproduction
• Marine conservation technology
• Capacity building program
• Coral nursery systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: SECORE is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The primary revenue stream is donations from individuals, foundations, and organizations. Donors contribute through one-time and monthly donations, fundraising through personal and professional networks, gifts in honor of friends and family, gifts in wills or estate plans, and gifts of stock or appreciated assets.
2. Merchandise Sales (Shop): SECORE operates an online shop (SpreadShop) selling merchandise including apparel featuring the Coral Heroes comic. 100% of profits from shop purchases go directly toward SECORE's restoration efforts.
3. Grants and Funded Research Projects: SECORE receives grants from organizations including Revive & Restore, Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP, US$1.38 million funded project), U.S. Department of Defense, and DARPA (Reefense Program / X-Reefs project).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SECORE International develops and shares the Coral Seeding technology — an assisted sexual coral reproduction approach that collects wild coral spawn, performs lab fertilization, rears larvae in floating CRIB nurseries, settles them on custom Seeding Units, and outplants the resulting genetically diverse juvenile corals onto degraded reefs. The organization also delivers a 5-year Training and Capacity Building Program that equips partner organizations worldwide to independently implement the Coral Seeding workflow, supported by educational products such as the Coral Heroes comic and Coral Breeding Reference Sheets.

Product overview

SECORE International is a coral reef conservation organization founded in 2015 that offers the Coral Seeding technology as its core product—a sexual coral reproduction method that collects coral spawn, fertilizes eggs in the lab, grows larvae in floating CRIBs (Coral Rearing In-Situ Basins), and outplants them on settlement tiles called Seeding Units. The portfolio includes specialized tools (spawn collection nets, Coral Tree Collector, Multi Colony Collector), the Training and Capacity Building Program for partner implementation, the Coral Heroes science comic for education, and Coral Breeding Reference Sheets for practitioners. These products work together as an integrated ecosystem of research, technology, and capacity building to enable large-scale coral reef restoration globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coral Heroes: A science comic for kids about reef ecology and restoration, teaching about the ecology of coral reefs and how to restore them with Coral Seeding. Available in multiple languages including English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Papiamentu, Bahasa Indonesia, Portuguese, Swahili, Farsi, and Italian.

Products and services

• Coral Seeding Technology SECORE's signature coral reef restoration methodology in which wild coral spawn is collected, lab-fertilized, reared in floating CRIB nurseries, settled on custom Seeding Units, and outplanted onto reefs to restore genetically diverse coral populations. Delivered to marine conservation partners globally.
• CRIB (Coral Rearing In-Situ Basin) A floating in-situ coral nursery developed by SECORE that enables coral larvae to be reared and settled on Seeding Units at sea, removing the need for land-based culture facilities and lowering the cost of starting a breeding program. Used by SECORE and its global implementation partners.
• Seeding Units (custom settlement tiles) Custom-designed settlement tiles on which SECORE's Coral Seeding larvae settle and transform into coral polyps prior to outplanting. The cross-shaped design is engineered for easy insertion into reef cracks and effective attachment.
• Specialized Spawn Collection Nets Specially designed nets used by SECORE divers to collect coral gametes in the wild during night spawning events, refined for easier underwater handling.
• Coral Tree Collector A new SECORE-developed tool that gathers coral spawn from tree nurseries alongside coral fragments, enabling a hybrid Coral Seeding plus fragmentation workflow.
• Multi Colony Collector A SECORE-developed collector piloted with Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire for simultaneous collection of gametes from multiple coral colonies during night spawning events.
• Training and Capacity Building Program A structured 5-year training and mentorship program for partner organizations that want to independently implement SECORE's Coral Seeding methodology in their own regions. Combines hands-on trainings, site visits, online trainings, seminars, and mentoring, with the long-term goal of handing projects fully over to local partners. Currently active across 11 Caribbean countries with Indian Ocean rollout in 2024 and Pacific rollout in 2026.
• Coral Heroes Science Comic A multilingual science comic for children teaching coral reef ecology and how reefs are restored using Coral Seeding. Available free as web versions and at nominal cost as print-ready files in English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Papiamentu, Bahasa Indonesia, Portuguese, Swahili, Farsi, Italian, and more, with optional institutional branding for partner organizations.
• Coral Breeding Reference Sheets Expert-authored reference documents consolidating spawning, larval development, settlement, and post-settlement information for four key Caribbean reef-building coral species (Acropora palmata, Orbicella faveolata, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Porites porites). Made freely available as a practitioner resource for Coral Seeding implementers.
• Coral Heroes Merchandise (Apparel and Accessories) Coral Heroes-themed apparel and accessories sold through SECORE's SpreadShop online storefronts (US and Europe), featuring Stanley/Stella organic and fair-trade certified garments. 100% of profits support SECORE's coral reef restoration work.

Quantifiable outcome

• Assisted sexual coral recruits showed high thermal tolerance during the 2023 Caribbean mass bleaching event, surviving while most wild corals bleached and died.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

31 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, moderate and minor.

• University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Collaborating with SECORE on the Engineering Coastal Resilience Through Hybrid Reef Restoration (ECoREEF) project off Miami Beach. University of Miami researchers deployed three 3D-printed SEAHIVE structures as the second phase of the ECoREEF project, attaching 205 adult coral colonies representing seven native species. Supported by U.S. Department of Defense and DARPA.
• FUNDEMAR (El Salvador)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFUNDEMAR is an implementation partner in the US$1.38 million CORDAP-funded restoration project together with SECORE and Reef Renewal Bonaire. The project focuses on optimizing collection of coral spawn, assisted fertilization, mass coral larvae rearing, coral settlement, and improving survival of corals after seeding on the reef.
• Reef Renewal BonairecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementation partner in the CORDAP-funded project. Also co-piloted a new Multi Colony Collector technology during coral spawning at night with SECORE. Announced new coral seeding partnership in 2023.
• Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and AquariummajorGTM or Marketing PartnerActive member of SECORE's Zoo and Aquarium Partnership Program. Supporter of SECORE for two decades. Curator Mitch Carl has appeared in a SECORE video endorsing the partnership as aligning with the zoo's mission of research, education, and conservation.
• ECOMARES (Colombia)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLong-term implementation partner in Colombia. SECORE and ECOMARES renewed their Memorandum of Understanding in 2025 for reef restoration activities.
• Reef Renewal Foundation CuraçaocoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLong-term restoration and research partner in Curaçao, part of SECORE's global implementation network. Hosts coral seeding training activities.
• CARMABI (Curaçao)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCARMABI Education team (led by Cor Hameete) translated the Coral Heroes comic into Dutch and Papiamentu. CARMABI is a key research and education institution in Curaçao supporting SECORE's work.
• Roatan Marine ParkcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementation partner in the Caribbean implementing SECORE's Coral Seeding approach.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key partner. NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program and broader marine science mandate aligns with SECORE's restoration mission. Listed among SECORE's organizational supporters.
• Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key partner. AIMS & SECORE's Global Tech Transfer Project for Coral Restoration was covered in Ocean Science & Technology. AIMS contributes research expertise and geographic reach (Indo-Pacific) complementing SECORE's Caribbean focus.
• Great Barrier Reef FoundationmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key partner, contributing to SECORE's Pacific expansion efforts and coral restoration work in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Coralium (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECORE works with the Coralium team led by Dr. Anastazia Banaszak at UNAM. The team translated the Coral Heroes comic into Spanish. Joint research on chimerism as a strategy to improve coral resilience published in Scientific Reports 2025.
• Perry Institute for Marine SciencemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key partner. Dr. Craig Dahlgren from Perry Institute serves on SECORE's Board of Directors.
• International Coral Reef InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECORE is listed as a media and communications partner for the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a global partnership working to conserve coral reefs.
• Shedd Aquarium ChicagomajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMember of SECORE's Zoo and Aquarium Partnership Program at the gold level. Mark Schick serves on SECORE's Zoo and Aquarium Advisory Board.
• Columbus Zoo and AquariummajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum-level member of SECORE's Zoo and Aquarium Partnership Program, supporting SECORE's coral restoration mission.
• The Florida AquariummajorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a key partner and supporter of SECORE's coral restoration efforts.
• California Academy of SciencesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a key partner in SECORE's organizational supporter network.
• Smithsonian Marine Station Fort PiercemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key partner and supporter of SECORE's coral restoration research.
• Orrick (International Law Firm)minorOthersListed as legal counsel providing legal services to SECORE International as a corporate partner.
• Alfred-Wegener-InstitutmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key partner, contributing research capabilities to SECORE's European collaborative network.
• Newcastle UniversitymoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key partner. Dr. James Guest from Newcastle University serves on SECORE's Scientific Advisory Board. Joint research on coral grazers and assisted gene flow published.
• Eco-SudmoderateImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a key partner operating in the Caribbean/Mauritius region supporting SECORE's restoration work.
• Coral Restoration ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key partner in SECORE's organizational network. The Coral Restoration Consortium connects coral restoration practitioners globally.
• Pittsburgh Zoo & AquariummajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver-level member of SECORE's Zoo and Aquarium Partnership Program.
• Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science CentermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a key partner in SECORE's Zoo and Aquarium Partnership Program.
• University of MauritiuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECORE is expanding to the Indian Ocean in 2024 with Mauritius as a key hub. Prof. Ranjeet Bhagooli from University of Mauritius serves on SECORE's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Gaëlle Quéré is SECORE's Research Scientist in Mauritius.
• Reefolution (Kenya)moderateImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a key partner. Reefolution, led by Joshua Wambugu, translated the Coral Heroes comic into Swahili and supports coral restoration in Kenya.
• Frost Science (Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science)moderateGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a key partner supporting SECORE's coral restoration mission from Miami, FL.
• Parque Nacional Arrecife de Puerto MorelosmoderateImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a key partner in Mexico, supporting SECORE's restoration operations in the Mexican Caribbean.
• Experiencias XcaretmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a key partner. Xcaret translated the Coral Heroes comic into Spanish and supports SECORE's outreach and restoration work in Mexico.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS): Major Australian government marine research agency collaborating with SECORE on a Global Tech Transfer Project for Coral Restoration. Brings Indo-Pacific geographic reach and institutional scale that dwarfs SECORE's Caribbean footprint.
• Great Barrier Reef Foundation: Major Australian nonprofit funding and coordinating Great Barrier Reef restoration. Listed as a key partner supporting SECORE's Pacific expansion. Operates at substantially larger scale in a related geography.
• Coral Restoration Consortium: Global community of practice connecting coral restoration practitioners. SECORE is listed as a partner. Operates as a broader convening entity covering the entire restoration field, of which SECORE is one specialized member.

Direct peers

• FUNDEMAR: El Salvador marine conservation foundation and SECORE implementation partner in the CORDAP-funded restoration project. Comparable as a regional restoration NGO working on Caribbean coral recovery.
• Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire: Caribbean-based coral restoration nonprofit using both fragmentation and SECORE's Coral Seeding approach. Direct implementation partner in the CORDAP-funded project and co-pilot of the Multi Colony Collector technology.
• CARMABI: Curaçao-based marine research and education institution that supports SECORE's training activities and translated Coral Heroes comic into Dutch and Papiamentu. Comparable as a regional research-and-restoration hybrid organization.
• Reef Renewal Foundation Curaçao: Long-term restoration and research partner in Curaçao operating within SECORE's implementation network. Direct comparable as a Caribbean restoration NGO using similar outplanting techniques.
• ECOMARES: Colombian coral restoration nonprofit and long-term SECORE implementation partner. Renewed MOU in 2025 for reef restoration activities. Operates similar Coral Seeding programs in the Colombian Caribbean.
• Roatan Marine Park: Honduran marine park and SECORE implementation partner implementing Coral Seeding in the Caribbean. Comparable as a regional restoration NGO with similar operational model and species focus.

Emerging players

• Reefolution: Kenya-based coral restoration organization focused on the Western Indian Ocean. SECORE implementation partner; translated Coral Heroes comic into Swahili. Direct methodology peer with regional focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=jb2U7NRNKg0
• Facebookfacebook.com/secore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/secoreinternationalinc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/secore.international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 SECORE International