If you are a woman building a business from the sea — a shrimp venture, a seaweed product, a seafood processing idea, or a piece of aquatech — there is a fully supported studio waiting in Mexico, and the clock is almost out. Hatch Blue and Conservation International Ventures have opened applications for the 2027 Women in Ocean Food Innovation Studio, and they close on Saturday, 7 November 2026. That leaves just one week from today, 31 October 2026, to get an application in.
This is not a grant you apply for and forget. It is a 12-month business support programme that begins with nine intensive days on site in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, from 25 January 2027, followed by a full year of mentorship, investor introductions and follow-up support. The programme describes itself as an equity-free business support programme for women founders and leadership teams driving change in the blue economy — meaning it does not take equity in your company during the programme — and, crucially for founders watching every peso, travel, accommodation and food costs are covered by the programme for successful applicants, for two participants per team.
At a Glance
| Programme | Women in Ocean Food Innovation Studio 2027 — Latin America and the Caribbean edition |
|---|---|
| Organisers | Hatch Blue and Conservation International Ventures |
| Application deadline | Saturday, 7 November 2026 |
| Studio location | La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico |
| Studio start | Monday, 25 January 2027 — full-time, nine-day, in-person studio |
| Programme length | 12 months, including quarterly follow-ups after the studio |
| Cost to participants | Equity-free support; travel, accommodation and food covered for two participants per team |
| Language | English and Spanish, with live interpretation |
| Who can apply | Women founders or current decision-makers at companies, research teams, cooperatives and associations in Latin America and the Caribbean |
Why This Studio Exists
Latin America and the Caribbean produce some of the world’s most commercially significant seafood — from Ecuador’s shrimp industry to Brazil’s tilapia sector and coastal seaweed value chains. Yet, as Hatch Blue puts it, the women building companies across those value chains face inequitable access to capital and supporting networks. Women in Ocean Food was built to surface those founders early and give them the resources to run with businesses they have already built, from an equal footing.
The numbers behind the programme suggest it is working. Companies led by alumni of the region’s three previous cohorts have raised USD 11.7 million to date. Across all regions, the wider Women in Ocean Food movement counts 68 companies from 32 countries graduated, with USD 24 million in total funding raised by alumni. Those two figures measure different things — the USD 11.7 million is the Latin America and Caribbean alumni total, while the USD 24 million is the global alumni total — and it is worth keeping them separate rather than adding them together.
What Alumni Actually Achieved
Three alumni stories from the official announcement show what “support” turns into in practice:
- AquaViridi, Brazil — led by CEO Fabiane Almeida, the company has secured USD 1.25 million in grants and USD 250,000 in investment to scale production and validate new extracts.
- SOS Biotech, Dominican Republic — co-founded by CTO Elena Martínez, the company has earned USDA accreditation, securing United States market access, and works directly with several American farmers.
- MareaRosa, Ecuador — founded by Annabell Palacios, the company has earned ASC Shrimp Standard certification to secure premium pricing and access key markets including the USA.
The pattern is consistent: certification, market access and capital — the three things that decide whether a good ocean product stays local or reaches a buyer willing to pay for it. Almeida’s own verdict on the programme is striking: she arrived with strong products but still discovering what it meant to step into her role as CEO, and left with vision, confidence and purpose — and in the 12 months that followed, her company consistently placed among the top participants in national and international programmes across Latin America and Europe.
Who Is Eligible
The studio is deliberately broad about business stage, but strict about leadership. Applicants must be women who are founders or current decision-makers at their company. Only projects or companies that are led by women, founded or co-founded by women, or where women are true decision-makers will be considered eligible.
The following can all apply:
- Startups with high-potential solutions;
- Established companies ready to scale;
- Research teams with at least a proof of concept and a route to market;
- Cooperatives and associations structuring their growth.
You do not need to have a registered entity when you apply, but the programme expects you to be ready to register by the end of it. Teams that have already been through another accelerator are still eligible. The minimum team size is one participant, but ideally two co-founders — and the programme covers travel, accommodation and food for two participants per team. On-site presence for the whole nine-day studio is required, and the studio ends with a Community Day on the final day, where selected finalists pitch their projects to partners and investors in the audience.
Which Sectors Qualify
The studio is looking for the next cohort of companies working across:
- Sustainable and regenerative aquaculture;
- Marine biotech;
- Aquatech;
- Seafood value chains;
- Seafood waste revalorisation;
- Blue carbon.
If your idea sits at the intersection of two of these — say, turning seafood processing waste into a saleable product, or using aquatech to make a small farm’s data bankable — that is squarely in scope. The programme’s own framing balances venture-focused companies with community-based projects, so a cooperative structuring its growth is as welcome as a startup chasing venture capital.
What Participants Receive
- Strategic business support — market intelligence, go-to-market strategy, business and fundraising strategy, and pitch and investor guidance;
- Individualised mentorship — from global industry leaders, plus one-to-one sessions with the Hatch Blue and Conservation International Ventures teams;
- Investor connections — access to a network of venture philanthropists and impact investors, independent of any investment decision; follow-on investment is possible with Hatch Blue and Conservation International Ventures where a company is ready and fits their criteria, but there is no equity investment during the programme itself;
- Industry connections — including discovery trips to aquaculture facilities and a global network of women-led companies across the blue economy;
- Twelve months of follow-up — quarterly follow-ups after the studio, plus support at key industry events, with the organisers remaining active partners on fundraising, business models and winning customers.
How to Apply — Step by Step
- Check the fit first. Confirm you are a woman founder or decision-maker, your venture sits in one of the six sectors above, and you can be in La Paz in person from 25 January 2027 for the full nine days.
- Read the full criteria on the official programme page. The application form and full criteria are on Hatch Blue’s official Women in Ocean Food Latin America and Caribbean programme page — use that page, not a summary, as your final authority.
- Prepare your story in numbers. The alumni who won certification and capital could show a product, a market and a bottleneck. Have ready: what you sell, who buys it, what proof of concept or traction you have, and what the studio would unlock — certification, a buyer, or investment readiness.
- Sort the practicalities early. Some nationalities require a visa to enter Mexico; visas are secured at each participant’s own expense and may require travel to a Mexican consulate, though an invitation letter is provided to support the application. Do not leave this to January.
- Submit before Saturday, 7 November 2026. The deadline is a Saturday — do not assume a weekend extension. Apply through the official programme page linked below.
Can You Apply From India?
Honestly: not for this edition. The 2027 studio announced here is the Latin America and Caribbean edition, for founders from across that region. If you are based in India, this is not an open application for you — and any message claiming otherwise should not be trusted.
So why should Fisheries India readers care? Because the model is directly transferable, and the lessons are the same ones India’s own women fishworkers face. Earlier this year we covered 93 women in Madagascar who turned fish waste into more than 10% extra profit by selling together, to a standard buyers trust, instead of selling alone at whatever price the day offered. The bottleneck was identical: processing work done mostly by women, with the least bargaining power. Likewise, Ghana’s ministry backing for women in fisheries science shows governments beginning to treat women’s leadership in fisheries as infrastructure, not charity. And the cooperative route matters everywhere: Guyana’s seabob plan puts cooperatives at the centre of a global export push, while South Africa’s training of 20 fishers from eight cooperatives shows what structured, funded skills support does for fishing communities. Certification, collective selling, recognised skills and investor-ready business plans — the Women in Ocean Food playbook is the same playbook, applied to women founders.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the programme start?
Monday, 25 January 2027, in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, with a full-time nine-day studio, followed by 12 months of support.
Is there any funding during the programme?
There is no equity investment during the programme. Travel, accommodation and food are covered for two participants per team, and there is an opportunity to meet investors in the organisers’ network — including Hatch Blue and Conservation International Ventures — who may seek to invest where a company is ready and fits their criteria.
Do I need a registered company to apply?
No — not at application stage. But you are expected to be ready to register by the end of the programme.
What language is the programme delivered in?
English and Spanish, with live interpretation services available.
Will my business idea be kept confidential?
There is no requirement to disclose confidential information or trade secrets during attendance, and the organisers state that anything shared will be kept totally confidential and not shared without written permission.
Official Links and Sources
- Hatch Blue — Women in Ocean Food Latin America and Caribbean programme page (official application page; deadline 7 November 2026, start 25 January 2027, equity-free, travel covered for two per team, FAQs)
- Hatch Blue news, 28 September 2026 — 2027 applications open; alumni of three previous regional cohorts raised USD 11.7 million; AquaViridi, SOS Biotech and MareaRosa stories
Fact-check note, 31 October 2026: every date, figure and eligibility rule above was verified against Hatch Blue’s official programme page and its 28 September 2026 announcement on 31 October 2026. The 7 November 2026 deadline is in the future as of publication. The programme images on this page are illustrations created for this article, not photographs of the studio. Where the official pages do not state a detail — such as a cohort size for 2027 — none is claimed here.