At the center of this movement is A'Pelago, an ecosystem founded by Finnish entrepreneurs Timo Ketonen and Patrik Anckar, whose personal ties to the Archipelago Sea have shaped a mission that blends environmental responsibility with scalable business development.
Turku is positioning itself as a fast-growing hub for blue economy innovation in Northern Europe, powered by a new wave of entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers committed to restoring the Baltic Sea.
At the center of this movement is A’Pelago, an ecosystem founded by Finnish entrepreneurs Timo Ketonen and Patrik Anckar, whose personal ties to the Archipelago Sea have shaped a mission that blends environmental responsibility with scalable business development.
A sea in crisis — and an opportunity for innovation
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For Ketonen and Anckar, both long-time sailors and archipelago natives, the degradation of the Baltic Sea is not an abstract issue. It’s something they’ve watched unfold over decades. Becoming grandfathers strengthened their determination to act.
Their conclusion is straightforward: public funding alone will not save the Baltic Sea. Private capital and scalable innovation must play a central role. A’Pelago was built to answer that need.
Today, the ecosystem supports science-based blue economy startups through the A’Pelago Accelerator, and connects founders, researchers, policymakers, and investors through the annual A’pelago Initiative.
Investors are paying attention
Turku’s momentum has already started to attract venture capital. In August, Redstone Nordics announced the launch of Redstone Blue I, a VC fund based in Turku and dedicated to Baltic Sea-focused innovation. With a target size of €25-40 million, the fund aims to build a portfolio of 20 companies starting in early 2026.
Redstone notes that a clear upward trend is emerging in blue economy investment across Europe. Funding rounds in the sector already range between €5 million and €50 million, and a handful of blue-tech unicorns have begun to appear.
The fund will focus on startups in:
- sustainable maritime transport
- clean energy
- blue biotechnology
- marine data and analytics
Importantly, Redstone highlights that selected solutions must be scalable and not reliant on public subsidies—reinforcing the shift toward private-sector leadership in ocean innovation.
A physical home for the Blue Economy
The newly opened Blue Economy Center at Turku Science Park serves as the operational core of the region’s blue innovation ecosystem. Managed by Ketonen’s Aboa Advest, the 460 m² hub hosts 13 subtenants, including A’Pelago, Redstone, and service providers from legal to software development.
The location is strategic: the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University—both leaders in marine research—are only steps away. According to Anckar, this proximity enables deeper collaboration between scientists and founders.
A’pelago is already exploring an academic track to help researchers transition into entrepreneurship, recognizing that many high-potential blue economy solutions originate in the lab.
Turku’s advantage is not just talent and infrastructure—it’s also geography. The Baltic Sea is shallow, fragile, and highly reactive to environmental change, making it an ideal testbed for innovation. Solutions developed here can be validated quickly and exported globally.
"When we come up with a solution here, it’s instantly ready for export," says Anckar.
A rapidly growing community
Since its founding in 2022, A’Pelago has expanded into a vibrant ecosystem with:
- 2,100+ individual members
- 750 organizations
- Participants from 12 countries in the A’pelago Initiative
- A multidisciplinary team leading ecosystem development, marketing, and events
The founders’ long-term goal is ambitious: create at least 30 new blue economy startups through the accelerator, and support one of them in becoming a unicorn by 2035.
A vision shaped by two symbols: the Flounder and the Unicorn
Ketonen and Anckar describe their mission through two animals:
- The flounder, representing the ecological recovery of the Baltic Sea
- The unicorn, representing globally scalable companies capable of driving that recovery
Their hope is that future generations—starting with their own grandchildren—will once again enjoy flounder from clean local waters.
"The flounders won’t return without the unicorn vision," says Anckar.
As Turku continues to build one of the most active blue economy ecosystems in Europe, the city is becoming a model for how innovation, investment, and community can converge to restore one of the world’s most vulnerable seas.
Image: Heidi Pelander - With Information, Business Turku