November 5, 2017 — In Reykjavik’s harbour, overlooking the colourful fishing vessels, there’s a building full of bright, young entrepreneurs. While they may never set foot in a boat, haul a net or set a hook, with their social media, marketing and design skills they’re determined to maximize value from the seafood industry.
They’re members of Iceland’s Ocean Cluster House, an innovation incubator for startup companies looking for the best new business idea from fish oil, bones, intestines and skin, or whatever else the ocean provides.
It’s the brainchild of Thor Sigfusson, who’s eager to show the space to a group visiting from Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Let me just walk with you through the house, now.”
The tour starts at the Ocean Cluster’s public restaurant, Bergsson, where pillows are made from old boat sails and pendant lights are cleverly fashioned from old buoys. Everywhere you look there are reminders of the ocean.
“We love to have designers involved with what we are doing here,” says Sigfusson, who holds a PhD in business.
While working on that degree, he found that fishing companies with money to invest weren’t well connected with entrepreneurs in the marine field. So, in 2011, he brought them all together under one roof.
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