The North Atlantic Blue BioTech Summit returns to Portland, Maine, in March 2027

Thursday, 22nd, October After a sold-out first edition, the 2027 summit brings innovators, investors and global brands together around transforming the ocean’s immense diversity into valuable products. Registrations of interest are now open.

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Hatch Blue bring the North Atlantic Blue BioTech Summit back to Portland, Maine, on Thursday, March 11, 2027, two days after Seafood Expo North America closes in Boston. 

The summit complements Seafood Expo North America with a focused day on blue biotech: the business of waste valorization and upcycling of marine resources into high value products and materials from seaweed and microalgae to fish and shellfish byproducts. It is a roughly $7 billion global market that industry estimates expect to double by the mid-2030s, and North America is already its largest regional market.

The Roux Institute at Northeastern University joins as co-host for the second edition, bringing closer ties to the life-sciences and AI-innovation ecosystems and resources for helping entrepreneurs launch.

The event format carries over from the first edition: a curated, invite-only investment and market-access platform where investors meet founders and corporate scout partners.The venue, speaker line-up, curated founder pitches and sponsorship packages will be announced over the coming months.

“Maine is an excellent place to bring people together around the potential for blue biotech, considering the region’s strong commercial fishing and aquaculture sectors, unique algae and seaweed assets poised for increased valorization, the deep pool of life science innovation leadership, and connectivity with the North Atlantic corridor,” said Beth Orcutt, Vice President for Research at Bigelow Laboratory.

“We’re excited to join the Blue Biotech Summit as a partner this year. At the Roux Institute, we already work with several blue biotech startups, and we’re building a corridor of expertise that runs from Northeastern’s labs in Boston up to Portland. Maine has been working the water for centuries. Our job is to help the next generation of companies build on that heritage and find the science, talent, and support they need to grow here.” said Elena Brondolo, Director of Entrepreneurship, Life Sciences & Health, Northeastern University’s Roux Institute 

The inaugural summit, last March, was the first in the North Atlantic built entirely around blue biotech, and it sold out with 200 registrants and a waitlist. Biotech investors from RA Capital and food and agriculture investors from S2G Investments shared the stage with Unilever, Skretting, NOAA, ocean-farming nonprofit GreenWave and LifeMine Therapeutics. Thor Sigfusson, founder and chairman of the Iceland Ocean Cluster, gave the keynote on what it would take to accelerate blue biotech in the U.S.

“March felt like the start of something,” said Dylan Terry, Innovation Studio Director at Hatch Blue. “Scientists, investors and global brands that rarely share a room spent the day finding reasons to work together. In year two, we want to turn those conversations into companies and deals, and an engine for growth for coastal communities in the US .”

The event is now open for registrations of interest at https://luma.com/vg74gweu
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Further reading: Unlocking Investment in U.S. Aquaculture maps the barriers, opportunities and pathways forward across five regional hubs, Maine among them. Download the report.