Press Release
Climate Edge and Artesian Selected by Catalytic Climate Finance Facility to Accelerate Maritime Decarbonization in Southeast Asia
Lisbon / Melbourne, November 2025 — Climate Edge and Artesian are proud to announce that the Southeast Asia Blue Innovation Facility (SEA-Fund) has been selected for the Catalytic Climate Finance Facility’s (CC Facility) fourth cohort. The CC Facility, funded by Global Affairs Canada, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, supports the design and scaling of innovative finance vehicles that mobilize private capital for high-impact climate action in developing countries.
The SEA-Fund is a USD 500 million blended finance vehicle designed to accelerate maritime decarbonization, climate adaptation, and inclusive economic development across Southeast Asia’s blue economy. By linking early-stage climate innovation with large-scale project finance, the fund addresses one of the region’s most pressing challenges: bridging the financing gap between emerging clean technologies and deployment in critical port and shipping infrastructure.
Led by Artesian, a global alternative investment manager, in partnership with Climate Edge, a climate tech open innovation platform , the SEA-Fund combines:
- A sustainability bond facility (90%) that finances first-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects in clean port infrastructure, renewable marine energy, blue carbon, and digital logistics; and
- A venture capital fund (10%) investing in 25–50 climate and ocean-tech startups that can scale across Southeast Asia’s maritime economies under Artesian’s “VC-as-a-Service” model.
The SEA-Fund builds upon a year-long strategic initiative led by Climate Edge—Ocean Edge, a global open innovation platform connecting ports and maritime corporations with ocean-tech startups—to identify decarbonization opportunities and pilot-ready technologies across the region.
“SEA-Fund fills a critical market gap in maritime climate finance,” said Hendrik Tiesinga, Founder & CEO of Climate Edge. “By combining concessional debt for infrastructure pilots with venture capital for scalable innovation, we’re creating a full-cycle model for accelerating the transition to a low-carbon and resilient blue economy.”
The CC Facility’s catalytic grant will support the SEA-Fund’s structuring and launch, including legal formation, investor engagement, and regional stakeholder coordination with port authorities, national development banks, and maritime corporations.
To learn more about the SEA-Fund and its inclusion in the Catalytic Climate Finance Facility portfolio, visit:
https://www.ccfacility.org/portfolio/the-southeast-asia-blue-innovation-facility-sea-fund
Press Contact:
Hendrik Tiesinga – Founder & CEO, Climate Edge
hendrik@climatedge.io | www.climatedge.io
