#29 Birgit Liodden: The Ocean Opportunity Lab (TOOL)

Join Birgit Liodden and Jan Maisenbacher on an inspiring ocean collaboration ride. 🔥 Why you shouldn’t miss this episode:* A rare insider view (and new moratorium initiative!) on the fight against deep sea mining* Concrete pathways toward regenerative blue economy solutions* A glimpse into how community + technology can unlock system change (like the Female Founder & Owners Initiative, Guardians of the Arctic, 1000 Ocean Start-up Initiative )* And a deeply human reminder: 👉 The future of the ocean will not be decided by extraction - but by collaboration.💥 At the heart of the episode is a bold truth: We are on the verge of industrializing the least understood ecosystem on Earth. And yet, we don’t have the science to understand the consequences.Birgit shares how she and her collaborators are working to mobilize global business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs to support a moratorium on deep sea mining -not just by saying “no,” but by building real alternatives.🌱 That’s where it gets exciting for every ocean changemaker:Through the OCEAN OPPORTUNITY LAB, her team is launching a global, open-source “toolbox” of regenerative solutions - mapping innovations that could make seabed mining obsolete before it even begins.🧠This episode goes beyond one issue. It taps directly into a core pain point many in the various ocean change making ‘bubbles’ feel: How can we accelarate innovation, change and collaboration in ocean regeneration? Enter TOOL (Ocean Opportunity Lab) 🧩Not just another platform - but a living infrastructure for collaboration.Birgit describes it beautifully as the “mycelium of the ocean ecosystem” 🍄→ connecting innovators, scientists, investors, NGOs, and rebels across 130+ countries→ breaking silos that keep good ideas stuck→ helping you find your people, your partners, and your next stepAnother mycelium example: Birgit is bridging the gap for female founders, scaling visibility from 100 to 1,000 - now aiming for 10,000 (via TOOL 🚀). It’s not just about gender; it’s about “reef mentality” 🪸 - replacing silos with feminine traits like ecosystem thinking and regenerative collaboration to heal the ocean. 🤝✨If you’ve ever felt:* isolated in your mission* frustrated by fragmented efforts* or searching for meaningful collaborationTOOL might just be the ecosystem you’ve been looking for! This podcast & post is public so feel free to share it.The Ocean Opportunity Lab as a go-to-place for ocean collaboration impact: → LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theoceanopportunitylab→ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/oceanopportunitylab→ REGISTER on the Web and contribute: https://community.toolspawn.com/Follow & connect Birgit Liodden → on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/birgitliodden→ on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shippingsocialistMentioned projects and initiatives:→ Guardians of the Arctic: https://guardians-arc.org→ Female Founder & Owners Initiative: Wavemakers Podcast (besides TOOL also available on Spotify): Wavemakers Podcast on Youtube: https://ww