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SWEN Blue Ocean
SWEN Blue Ocean is a Paris-based impact venture strategy deploying over €300M into ocean regeneration startups, co-led by Christian Lim and Olivier Raybaud.
SWEN Blue Ocean
A direct impact strategy investing in innovations that help regenerate ocean health, hence contributing to achieve SDG #14.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2021
AUM
€300M
Location
Region
Europe
Country
France
City
Paris
Corporate office
Paris, France
Principals
Christian Lim
Managing Director
Olivier Raybaud
Managing Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at SWEN Blue Ocean?
Managing Directors Christian Lim and Olivier Raybaud co-lead the strategy. Both joined SWEN Capital Partners in 2020 to develop Blue Ocean. The investment team includes three Investment Directors — Mélanie Le Guen, Julie Peyrache, and Seva Zakharov — supported by multiple Principals and Associates handling deal execution and portfolio management.
How does SWEN Blue Ocean source proprietary deal flow?
Sourcing runs through a scientific partnership with Ifremer, France's national oceanographic institute, coupled with an ecosystem strategy tied to 1000 Ocean Startups, BlueInvest, and the Creative Destruction Lab. The fund uses research-derived technology roadmaps to identify startups addressing ocean-health gaps, which yields access to companies before they enter broad venture processes.
Does SWEN Blue Ocean participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The strategy makes direct venture investments. No fund-of-funds activity is disclosed. Co-investment appears limited to direct rounds alongside other venture and corporate investors such as Creadev and the European Commission's BlueInvest platform.
What investment stages does SWEN Blue Ocean typically target?
The fund focuses on early-stage, primarily seed through Series A. Portfolio evidence includes seed rounds for Traceless Materials and Series A rounds for WSense and MiAlgae, indicating readiness to back both pre-revenue science-based ventures and companies with early commercial traction.
How is SWEN Blue Ocean related to SWEN Capital Partners?
Blue Ocean is a dedicated impact strategy inside SWEN Capital Partners, an established Paris-based private equity firm. The parent provides operational infrastructure and distribution to institutional LP relationships, while Blue Ocean maintains a separate investment team, brand identity, and scientific advisory board.
Does SWEN Blue Ocean maintain structures for impact measurement?
Yes. The strategy publishes an annual public impact report. Its 2024 Impact Report details progress on scalable solutions for ocean regeneration, aligned with SDG 14 metrics. The scientific partnership with Ifremer also provides third-party validation of environmental outcomes.
What is SWEN Blue Ocean's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
The firm leads or participates in direct rounds and has not disclosed a formal co-investment program. Syndication is project-specific, often alongside sector-specialist climate and blue-economy investors, development-finance institutions, and European innovation agencies rather than generalist venture firms.
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