From Spain and Chile to the Nordics: NIDO Contech Wins A'Pelago's 2026 Pitch Challenge in Turku
A'Pelago Initiative 2026 brought together nearly 350 entrepreneurs, business leaders, researchers, investors, public policymakers and other actors in the Blue Economy in Ruissalon Telakka, Turku, on August 19 and 20.
Turku, Finland, August 25, 2026.- A biomaterials startup with roots in Spain and Chile has taken the top prize at one of the Nordic region's flagship ocean-economy gatherings. NIDO Contech was named winner of the A'Pelago Pitch Challenge, held as part of A'Pelago Initiative 2026 in Turku, Finland on August 19-20, an event that drew roughly 350 entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and policymakers from 20 countries.
NIDO, which took part in A'Pelago's Nordic Blue Accelerator programme earlier this year, builds advanced biomaterials from seaweed and other biological processes aimed at the construction and HVAC sectors. Its flagship product, the NIDO Algae Panel, is a seaweed-derived building panel developed specifically for use in timber structures.
The win propels the company into the final of the Turku Startup Prize, set to be decided in Turku on September 17. Organizers noted that the Blue Economy and maritime sector was represented by 12 teams among applicants to that prize, and that NIDO's advancement puts the sector in the spotlight heading into the final round. The inaugural Turku Startup Prize drew 148 applications from 21 countries.
A bigger stage for the Blue Economy
Follow us on: 
NIDO's victory was one of several notable developments to come out of this year's A'Pelago Initiative, themed We Are the Ocean. The event's international matchmaking programme, run with Enterprise Europe Network and Business Turku, facilitated more than 100 pre-arranged meetings between investors and startups from across Europe.
Organizers also used the event to open applications for three new accelerator programmes launching in 2027 — the Northern Blue Accelerator, a six-month internationalisation initiative spanning the Baltic Sea region, and the Nordic Ocean Cluster Accelerator (NOCA), which will focus on commercial validation in Nordic markets before expanding to Iceland in 2028 and Norway in 2029. Details of a third, Finland-focused programme are expected later.
Separately, investment firm Redstone announced the first close of a new €25 million Blue Fund targeting pre-seed and Series A companies in maritime and ports, energy, water technologies, and ocean data. Backers in the first close include the City of Turku, Meriaura Invest, Aboa Advest, LähiTapiola and several other institutional and angel investors.
Organizers framed the combination of NIDO's win, the new fund, and the volume of investor meetings as evidence of growing momentum behind Blue Economy investment, at a time when industry estimates put the annual global financing gap for a sustainable ocean economy at roughly USD 550 billion through 2030.
A'Pelago Initiative will return to Turku on August 18-20, 2027, under the theme The Ocean Engagement.