Here are the top ocean tech leaders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, San Francisco
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is happening October 13-15 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. The conference includes all the big names in tech and finance that you’d expect to see, plus these leaders in ocean tech, conservation, and the blue economy. Here's a snapshot of the companies behind the speakers, including Kofi Asante (Bluecore Energy), Crystal Huang, Robby Stein, Stephan Bitton (Google/Alphabet), Ben Lamm (Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences), Bill Tai (ACTAI Global), Susan Schofer, Pae Wu, Parikshit Sharma (SOSV, HAX, SOSV SF), Richard Munassi (Tampa Bay Wave BlueTech|X Accelerator), Jonny Dyer (Muon Space), and... Marky Mark.
Kofi Asante: Bluecore Energy
Bluecore plans to deliver zero-emission electricity for maritime infrastructure with their proposed floating nuclear power plants. These plants have also been proposed as a possible energy source for floating data centers (learn more about floating data centers from Sailicon Valley).
Google/Alphabet: Crystal Huang (Google Ventures), Robby Stein (Google), Stephan Bitton (Google Cloud).
On the surface, Alphabet and Google aren’t “ocean tech” companies, but they’re actually the world’s top investor in the deep sea cables that keep the physical internet connected. Oh yeah, and they also may or may not have launched a floating data center.
Ben Lamm: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences
They’re probably sick of hearing this movie reference, but you might say that the primary work of the Colossal team is to bring back extinct animals, you know, like in Jurassic Park. The Colossal species index lists animals they hope to revive, like the Dodo, and while no aquatic animal has yet made the cut for de-extinction, Colossal is actively biobanking endangered sea creatures like sharks and turtles. Speaker and founder Ben Lamm’s LinkedIn headline might be the single best conversation starter in the history of the platform: “Just a guy working to bring back mammoths (and other stuff).”
Bill Tai: ACTAI Global
Tai is best known as a prolific venture capitalist (early investor in Zoom, Twitter, Canva), but the reason he’s on this list is because he is also the co-founder of ACTAI Global, a nonprofit making waves in ocean conservation. ACTAI backs ocean-focused startups and will host the Ocean Gala for ocean advocacy December 4 during Art Basel in Miami.
SOSV, HAX, SOSV SF: Susan Schofer, Pae Wu, Parikshit Sharma
Dr. Susan Schofer is a partner at SOSV and the Chief Science Officer at SOSV HAX, which together have a portfolio that includes investments in ocean science, climate tech, marine robotics, and ocean-tech hardware. Their HAX accelerator has supported the likes of Neptune, which makes underwater cleaning robots for the marine industry. SOSV maintains a San Francisco office (learn more about the Port of San Francisco’s Blue Economy Initiative from Sailicon Valley).
Richard Munassi: Tampa Bay Wave BlueTech|X Accelerator
Tampa Blue Wave helped launch hundreds of startups, and their BlueTech accelerator focuses on supporting ocean-based startups like SwimSmart Technology and ONA Protocol (Spain).
Jonny Dyer: Muon Space
This satellite and space company makes the list because Muon’s devices are also used for ocean monitoring. Muon even won contracts with NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to help track ocean surface winds and support weather forecast modeling.
Mark Wahlberg?
Mark Wahlberg is actually the top headliner at this event – yes, the same Marky Mark from the Funky Bunch and New Kids on the Block. Why is Mark Wahlberg headlining a tech conference? It’s reported that the TechCrunch organizers believe Mark has got the right stuff to make the audience feel the vibration. But seriously, Wahlberg’s fortune is estimated to be nearly half a billion dollars and he holds a sizeable portfolio of investments (like Wahlburgers), so he certainly has a thing or two to share about the art of “disrupting.”
Learn more about TechCrunch parties and side events, here:
Jean Bradley, TechCrunch Events
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