Photo credit: Foto NHHS

Ocean Oasis welcomes three students from NHH Norwegian School of Economics.

We have welcomed students from NHH to the team for a new semester, through the SEB ScaleCenter collaboration with the student organization Start NHH.

Ocean Oasis has been located in SEB ScaleCenter, an incubator for sustainable fast-growing start-ups within central Norwegian industries since 2021. SEB has been working with Start NHH since 2020 with a vision to let students work with projects for start-up companies. While aiding these companies with consulting services, students at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) can get work experience and form connections with these types of businesses.

As part of the collaboration between Start NHH and SEB, the Ocean Oasis’ remote workforce team was formed in September 2021 by three students at NHH. Ocean Oasis is excited to welcome Martin Kvarsnes, Luying Yao and Sebastian Johansen to a new semester. Martin (27) is a fifth-year student, Luying (21) is in her third year while Sebastian (21) is a second-year student.

“The students say it is motivating to work on the tasks given when they know that what they are doing can make a difference for Ocean Oasis.

“Ocean Oasis has challenged us with tasks of great importance to them, and at the same time given us a deep look into how quickly things move for a growth company. Being part of this has been a great way to expand on my own abilities and personally I could not have asked for a better activity to do next to school!”

– Sebastian Johansen, student at NHH

For Martin, Luying and Sebastian, working together with Ocean Oasis has been a great way to get real work experience while attending school. Through this work they have achieved a greater understanding of what Ocean Oasis can deliver, the business model and operating market. This upcoming semester the students are looking forward to continuing their work and tackling new challenges that will require them to build on their prior knowledge.

Feb 7, 2022

Liftoff! The students selected for DNV’s Summer Project celebrating the launch of the Ocean Oasis concept project.

Ocean Oasis has a strong relationship with DNV – the world’s leading technical and risk advisory company in the ocean space.

Co-founder and CTO, Thomas B. Johannessen, continues to work part-time for DNV where he holds the position of Senior Principal Specialist, Hydrodynamics & Metocean.

In 2014, Thomas mentored a group of 12 students selected for DNV’s summer student project in that year. Each summer, DNV sponsors graduate students – drawn mainly from the Nordics – to its headquarters in Oslo to work with leading scientists and engineers on technically visionary projects, typically involving the ocean. The summer project in 2014 focused on a wave-powered desalination device dubbed ‘Ocean Oasis’, and the project used the water-stressed city of Cape Town, South Africa, as a test case.

The Summer Project attracted positive internal and external attention, and many felt that DNV should take the project further. However, as a third-party provider of technical assurance, DNV normally does not design, build or operate physical assets, and therefore decided not to participate in the further commercialization of Ocean Oasis.

DNV strongly supports technology that advances ocean health while addressing SDG #6 on access to clean water and sanitation.

“As a signatory to the UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Ocean Principles, DNV is active on many fronts working to ensure that ocean wealth and ocean health find a good balance. For that reason, we are proud of the part we played in the genesis of Ocean Oasis and are watching its growing success, including its backing by the European Innovation Council, with interest. Ocean Oasis has the potential to fix two great challenges at once: water scarcity and decarbonization, and it is a shining example of the repurposing of Norway’s offshore expertise in pursuit of a sustainable Blue Economy.”  

Remi Eriksen, President & CEO, DNV

Ocean Oasis appreciates the valuable backing given by DNV.

Ocean Oasis has now welcomed on board new investors. The lead investor is Grieg Maritime Group through their newly established dedicated innovation unit Grieg Edge, led by Nicolai Grieg.

The financing round will further strengthen the company’s efforts towards supplying fresh water competitively to coastal communities and businesses in many locations worldwide, adding capacity to technology development and testing.

“In the Grieg Maritime Group, we say we will create maritime solutions for a better future. And that is what Kristine and her team in Ocean Oasis are planning to do: create a better future. Their ability to create a business while solving a fundamental worldwide problem using non-carbon energy is a perfect fit for our investment policy”
– Head of Grieg Edge, Nicolai Grieg

Grieg Edge has not only invested in Ocean Oasis but will also be an active partner. Kjerstin Hernes will enter the Ocean Oasis Board of Directors on behalf of Grieg Edge. Furthermore, Ocean Oasis will be able to draw on the expertise of the Grieg Maritime Group.

Other prominent investors are Kristin and Johan Odfjell through Planet 9 Venture, former Statoil/Equinor CEO Harald Norvik, Grethe and Sjur Thorsheim, FemInvest, and Stefano Bernardi through Atomico’s angel program.

Earlier this year, Ocean Oasis secured support from Innovation Norway and The Research Council of Norway in several rounds.

“1.5 billion people live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability. With population growth and climate change, water scarcity will affect over half the world’s population by 2050. We are confident that we can supply water competitively to coastal communities and businesses in many locations worldwide”.
– CEO of Ocean Oasis, Kristine B. Fredriksen.

May 6, 2021