BlueInvest Day 2023, the flagship matchmaking event in the European Union's blue economy calendar, took place on Thursday, 09 March at the KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) in Brussels. Organized by OFCORES, the event brought together innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors from the BlueInvest community for a day filled with business-to-investor matchmaking, networking, inspiring keynotes, panel discussions, the BlueInvest Awards, pitch battles and BlueInvest success stories.

OFCORES arranged the complete set-up of the hybrid event, including concept development, streaming technology, registration, communication (website, mailings and branded manuals), supplier and keynote management, creative event deliverables and travel-management.

The day welcomed a live audience of around 200 people on-site, while the community could also plug into the live-streamed event. The 900 participants had the opportunity to hear from industry leaders and experts on the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in the blue economy. The day was opened by Commissioner Sinkevičius and featured more than 50 speakers both live on stage, as well as calling in remotely. The audience also got to engage in business-to-investor matchmaking sessions and network with potential investors, partners, and customers.

The BlueInvest Awards pitch battles were a highlight of the event, featuring innovative startups and SMEs from the blue economy sector pitching their business ideas to a panel of investors and industry experts. The winners were awarded funding and support to help them scale their businesses and bring their ideas to market. An interactive voting tool was launched in real-time to determine the People’s Choice Award winner.