Urban Ocean

What Urban Ocean does

Urban Ocean is a Norwegian marine ecosystem restoration company founded in 2022–2023 and headquartered in Bergen. It develops nature-based infrastructure for urban coastal waters, with current operations concentrated in the Oslofjord. The company was established by four civil engineers from the University of Bergen with Integrated MSc degrees in Aquaculture and Seafood, two of whom specialized in low-trophic species (blue mussels and sugar kelp).

The company's core technology is a portfolio of living habitat structures: Blåskjell Strømper (blue mussel socks) — rope-based systems that filter thousands of liters of water daily and serve as natural biofilters; Modulære Rev i Betong (modular concrete reefs) for creating shelter and new habitat; Stålburer (steel cages) as flexible attachment and protection structures; and Hummerhus (lobster houses) for benthic species. Its first pilot deployment took place in October 2023 at Langkaia and Sukkerbiten, two Oslofjord sites with high sewage discharge and low water circulation, where 21 mussel socks were installed. The company also maintains research ties to the Institute of Marine Research (Havforskningsinstituttet) through co-founder Victoria Helsengreen's master's thesis work.

Urban Ocean's business model combines hardware sales (mussel growing kits, individual rope and sock components), digital sponsorship (the Blåskjellfadder program at 200 NOK for a personal certificate), and branded merchandise (clothing and bags) sold through a Wix-based e-commerce storefront targeting Norwegian consumers. The only disclosed capital infusion is a 100,000 NOK grant from the University of Bergen's UiB Idé competition in 2023. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company currently operates at a pilot scale with 6 total employees.

Name

Urban Ocean

Legal name

UrbanOceanNorge

Website

https://urbanocean.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urban Ocean is a Norwegian marine ecosystem restoration company that installs nature-based habitat structures (mussel socks, concrete reefs, steel cages, lobster houses) in urban coastal waters, primarily the Oslofjord, selling mussel kits, digital sponsorships, and merchandise to engaged Norwegian citizens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergen

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Mussel Kits, Merchandise): Sale of physical products including blue mussel growing kits (tau, blåskjell kit, individual mussel socks), and branded merchandise (crew neck, t-shirt, caps, tote bags). One-time purchase model.
2. Digital Sponsorship (Blåskjellfadder): Digital blue mussel sponsorship program where supporters contribute financially and receive a personal certificate. Supports the hanging of mussel socks that filter water in fjords.
3. Pilot Project Funding: Received 100,000 kr in funding from University of Bergen's 'UiB Idé' competition in 2023 to develop and execute the pilot project in the Oslofjord.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urban Ocean designs, manufactures, and deploys nature-based marine habitat structures — Blåskjell Strømper (blue mussel socks), Modulære Rev i Betong (modular concrete reefs), Stålbur (steel cages), and Hummerhus (lobster houses) — to restore marine biodiversity and improve water quality in urban coastal areas, primarily the Oslofjord. The company additionally sells mussel-growing kits, branded merchandise, and a digital mussel sponsorship program (Blåskjell Fadder) through its own e-commerce site to fund deployments and engage citizen participants in restoration.

Product overview

Urban Ocean is a marine ecosystem restoration company developing nature-based solutions for urban coastal areas, particularly focused on the Oslofjord. The core product portfolio consists of four habitat infrastructure solutions: Blåskjell Strømper (mussel socks/ropes), Modulære Rev i Betong (modular concrete reefs), Stålbur (steel cages), and Hummerhus (lobster houses). Supporting these are mussel farming kit products (rope sections, complete kits) for citizen engagement, and a digital sponsorship program (Blåskjell Fadder). The company also offers branded merchandise (clothing and bags). All solutions work together to restore marine biodiversity and improve water quality in urban harbor areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blåskjell Strømper (Blue Mussel Socks) Living habitat structures that facilitate establishment of mussels and other marine life in urban harbor areas. Rope-based systems that filter thousands of liters of water daily, serving as natural water purifiers for urban fjords such as the Oslofjord. Used by Urban Ocean and citizen supporters to anchor restoration deployments.
• Modulære Rev i Betong (Modular Concrete Reefs) Robust underwater structures designed to create shelters and new living areas for marine species in urban harbor environments. Targeted at urban fjord restoration projects.
• Stålbur (Steel Cage) Flexible steel habitat installations that function as attachment areas and protection for underwater organisms in urban marine restoration projects.
• Hummerhus (Lobster House) Artificial shelters developed to provide lobsters and other bottom-dwelling (benthic) species safe living areas in urban harbor environments.
• Blåskjell Kit (Mussel Kit) Complete consumer kit containing everything needed to get started with blue mussel rope installation, priced at 2,299 NOK. Targeted at environmentally conscious Norwegian citizens who want to participate hands-on in marine habitat restoration.
• Enkel Blåskjell Strømpe (Simple Mussel Sock) Single mussel sock section sold to citizen supporters as an individual component for habitat installation, priced at 100 NOK.
• Tau 1 Meter (Rope 1 Meter) One-meter rope section for mussel habitat installation, priced at 100 NOK, sold to citizen supporters as an individual component of the Blåskjell Kit.
• Blåskjell Fadder Digital (Digital Mussel Sponsor) Digital sponsorship where supporters contribute financially to fund the hanging of mussel socks that filter water in the Oslofjord, priced at 200 NOK. Sponsors receive a personal certificate via email as recognition of their contribution. Targeted at environmentally conscious Norwegian citizens.
• Urban Ocean Merchandise Branded merchandise including crew neck sweater (750 NOK), t-shirt (500 NOK), cap (450 NOK), and tote bag v.2 (300 NOK). One-time purchases sold directly to Norwegian supporters as a signal of affiliation with the Urban Ocean restoration mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Blue mussel socks filter thousands of liters of water daily per sock

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universitetet i Bergen (UiB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023UiB awarded Urban Ocean 100,000 kr through the 'UiB Idé' competition in 2023. The founding team are UiB alumni (civil engineers in aquaculture). UiB also promoted Urban Ocean's participation at the Innovasjonsfestivalen via LinkedIn and featured their work in news articles.
• Oslo Fridykkerklubb (Oslo Free Diving Club)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelge Skoglund Løvskar from Oslo Fridykkerklubb supported the pilot project by assisting with the collection and deployment of blue mussels in the Oslofjord.
• FjordskolenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelge Skoglund Løvskar from Fjordskolen supported the pilot project, contributing to mussel collection in Drøbak and deployment in Oslo.
• Havforskningsinstituttet (Institute of Marine Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the founders (Victoria Helsengreen) wrote her master's thesis on flatfish (kveite/hallibut) nutrition in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research. The company draws on this research connection for its scientific approach to marine restoration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Ocean Cleanup: Dutch non-profit deploying large-scale ocean plastic cleanup technology. Not a direct competitor but a comparable well-funded marine restoration entity with strong PR machinery, demonstrating the scale and capital that marine restoration ventures can attract.

Emerging players

• SeaTrees by Sustainable Surf: Citizen-funded ocean restoration program that allows individuals and businesses to sponsor mangrove, kelp, and reef restoration. Directly comparable citizen-sponsorship (Blåskjellfadder analogue) and community-led GTM motion.
• GreenWave: Nonprofit training ocean farmers in regenerative ocean farming including kelp and shellfish. Comparable low-trophic aquaculture focus and mission of citizen-led marine ecosystem restoration.
• Biofase: Company that uses shellfish waste to create bioplastics, anchored on commercial mussel/oyster aquaculture supply chains. Tangentially comparable as a low-trophic shellfish-based venture, though more on the materials/commercialization side.
• Coral Vita: Bahamas-based company using coral farming and restoration science to rebuild degraded reefs. Comparable in combining science-backed restoration with commercial/community funding models.

Direct peers

• Living Seawalls: Provider of modular habitat panels installed on existing seawall infrastructure to enhance marine biodiversity in urban harbors. Highly comparable target use case (urban harbor marine biodiversity) and product format.
• ECOncrete Tech Ltd: Israeli company developing concrete modules designed to enhance marine biodiversity and support coastal ecosystem restoration, including reef-like structures. Direct competitor in nature-based marine restoration infrastructure for urban and coastal environments.
• Reef Design Lab: Australia-based firm specializing in 3D-printed and modular artificial reef structures for marine habitat restoration. Comparable in producing deployable reef hardware for urban and coastal water bodies.

Regional players

• Blue Planet AS: Norwegian aquaculture and marine sector cluster where two Urban Ocean founders work as project managers. Comparable Norwegian aquaculture focus, though operating at the cluster/enablement layer rather than direct restoration deployments.
• Stiim Aqua Cluster: Norwegian aquaculture innovation cluster where Urban Ocean's founder Thord Håkon Bakke works. Directly comparable as a Norwegian aquaculture ecosystem player, though operating as a cluster rather than a deployment company.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-ocean

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Urban Ocean