Upwell

What Upwell does

Upwell was a San Francisco-based nonprofit ocean conservation communications organization founded in 2011 and operated under the fiscal sponsorship of the New Venture Fund. The organization functioned as what it described as 'a PR agency for the ocean,' building and maintaining a distributed network of approximately 1,500 ocean communicators (referred to internally as 'Team Ocean') spanning international NGOs, government agencies, scientists, bloggers, journalists, and advocacy organizations. Its core mission was to make the ocean more visible in online conversations by curating shareable content, running rapid-turn attention campaigns, and providing social-listening analytics to a community that would otherwise lack access to such data infrastructure.

The flagship product was the Tide Report, an email newsletter launched June 5, 2012 and distributed 2-3 times per week, which delivered curated ocean news, one-click amplification pathways, and editorial calendars for ocean events. The organization complemented this with the Attention Lab (a campaign unit executing quick-turn attention campaigns measured by social mentions rather than impressions), Big Listening (a proprietary methodology for analyzing online ocean conversations at scale using tools including Radian6), annual Sharkinar webinars coordinating Shark Week campaigns, and State of the Online Conversation research reports on topics such as ocean acidification and overfishing. Notable campaign outcomes included a 41% increase in ocean mentions on World Oceans Day 2012 and nearly 1 million shark mentions during Shark Week 2013.

Upwell was funded almost entirely through foundation grants, with the Waitt Foundation cited as a core funder that enabled the Tide Report. Services were provided free to subscribers; no pricing tiers or contracts existed. Despite achieving engagement rates that materially exceeded nonprofit industry benchmarks (35% open rate and 9-10% click rate versus 13% and 2.9% respectively per M+R and NTEN benchmarks), the organization could not secure sufficient dedicated ocean funding to sustain operations. Founder Rachel Weidinger led a small core team of approximately 4-6 people, supplemented by alumni contributors. Upwell announced its shutdown on January 12, 2015 and ceased operations on March 31, 2015.

Name

Upwell

Legal name

Upwell

Website

https://upwell.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Upwell was a San Francisco-based nonprofit (founded 2011, closed March 2015) that functioned as a communications and amplification network for ocean conservation, serving ocean-focused NGOs, scientists, bloggers, and journalists via its Tide Report newsletter, Attention Lab campaigns, and Big Listening social analytics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ocean Conservation Communications

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Ocean conservation communications
• Nonprofit email newsletter
• Social media amplification
• Marine advocacy campaigns
• Conservation content curation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Upwell operated as a nonprofit funded primarily through grants. After two years of exploring various funding options, they were unable to secure dedicated ocean funding sufficient to maintain core programming. They closed operations on March 31, 2015.
2. Fiscal Sponsorship: Fiscal sponsor was the New Venture Fund. Major funder mentioned was the Waitt Foundation which helped fund the Tide Report.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Upwell was a nonprofit ocean conservation communications organization that built and operated Team Ocean, a distributed network of marine biologists, NGO communicators, science writers, and ocean bloggers. Its flagship offering was the Tide Report email newsletter, delivered two to three times per week to roughly 1,500 subscribers, providing curated ocean news, science-based content, and ready-to-amplify social posts. Complementing the newsletter were the Attention Lab (quick-turn campaigns injecting conservation messaging into online conversations), Big Listening analytics methodology, State of the Online Conversation research reports, and annual Sharkinar webinars.

Product overview

Upwell was an ocean conservation communications organization that operated as a single integrated service rather than a software platform. Its core offerings centered on the Tide Report newsletter (delivered 2-3 times weekly), the Attention Lab (campaign unit for conservation messaging), and Big Listening (social conversation analysis methodology). These services worked together to amplify ocean conservation content through a distributed network of influencers, with Tide Report serving as the primary campaign delivery mechanism and Attention Lab conducting rapid-response campaigns. The organization also produced State of the Online Conversation research reports and hosted Sharkinar events. Upwell ceased operations in March 2015.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tide Report Email Newsletter Upwell's flagship email newsletter delivered two to three times per week to approximately 1,500 subscribers, providing ocean conservation news, curated science-based content, one-click amplification pathways, and upcoming ocean events for social media managers, scientists, and ocean advocates.
• Attention Lab Campaigns A campaign-focused service within Upwell that ran quick-turn attention campaigns injecting conservation messaging into existing online conversations about the ocean, measured by social mentions rather than impressions.
• State of the Online Conversation Reports Data-driven research reports analyzing millions of social media posts on specific ocean issues such as overfishing and ocean acidification, providing movement-level insights for scientists, campaigners, and communicators.
• Sharkinar Webinars Annual online webinar bringing together scientists, activists, bloggers, journalists, and nonprofits to share data, coordinate strategy, and run shark conservation campaigns during Shark Week.
• Ocean Calendars Google calendars containing marine biology conferences, science communication events, ocean awareness days, and ocean holidays for editorial calendar planning by ocean communicators.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35% email open rate (vs 13% nonprofit industry average)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Conservation InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Greg Stone from Conservation International listed as a Shark Week Super Tweeter and influencer partner in shark conservation campaigns.
• 350.orgminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Partnered on #endfossilfuelsubsidies twitterstorm; 350.org retweeted Upwell's ocean acidification image helping achieve 350,000 impressions.
• The Ocean ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnered on World Oceans Day initiatives. Upwell provided social media amplification support for The Ocean Project's annual World Oceans Day campaigns.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SeaLegacy: Ocean conservation communications organization founded by National Geographic photographers using storytelling and campaigns to drive ocean protection. Closest peer to Upwell's communications-first mission.
• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global advocacy coalition working to reduce plastic pollution with significant focus on digital communications and influencer mobilization. Overlapping tactics and audience with Upwell.
• 5 Gyres: Nonprofit focused on ocean plastic pollution research, education, and advocacy. Similar small-team, communications-heavy model tackling a specific ocean issue with engaged community.
• Surfrider Foundation: Coastal and ocean advocacy nonprofit with active digital communications and grassroots campaign programs. Comparable ocean-protection advocacy scope and member-driven model.
• Oceana: International ocean conservation advocacy organization focused on policy campaigns and communications. Direct peer in ocean advocacy space; was among Upwell's Tide Report subscribers.
• Ocean Conservancy: Large ocean conservation nonprofit that incubated Upwell at founding. Operates in the same ocean advocacy space with overlapping stakeholder networks and complementary communications programming.
• Waitt Institute: Ocean policy nonprofit founded by Ted Waitt (also behind the Waitt Foundation that funded Upwell). Shares the ocean mission and donor ecosystem, with overlapping communications focus.
• SeaWeb / Rare: Marine conservation communications and social marketing organization (SeaWeb merged into Rare). Directly comparable mission of amplifying ocean issues through strategic communications and campaigns.

Broad incumbents

• Greenpeace: Major international environmental advocacy organization with extensive ocean campaigns and digital mobilization infrastructure. Comparable advocacy mission but vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Conservation International: Large global conservation organization with substantial ocean program and digital communications capabilities. Was a Tide Report subscriber and Shark Week partner; broader portfolio but overlapping audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/upwell
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/upwell
• Facebookfacebook.com/Upwell.us
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upwell

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Upwell