Ocean-lover cofounder needed

In my recent year-long trip to South America, I was fortunate enough to explore stunning beaches and underwater worlds, diving in stunning places, while also witnessing firsthand the devastating effects of plastic pollution on our oceans.
I've seen amazing islands like Utila and San Andres in Central America, or some Colombian coast in South America with an insane amount of plastic.
Sometimes the whole economy of the island was rotating around the sea and scuba diving tourism but even there... plastic on every beach!

Many times I stopped looking at that on the beach, almost crying, with my brain and hearth looking for a viable solution.
A viable solution has to be scalable, feasible and profitable in order to be sustainable and grow to the level of tackling a global-size problem.

While looking at the plastic on Utila, with these isolated beaches reachable only by boat, I initially had the idea of a drone able to collect plastic with a smart robotic arm that can recognize plastic with AI and drop it in a close garbage-collecting boat, already separated by material and use. I still think it’s a great idea that can be scalable and profitable, the feasibility instead is way harder, it requires specialized talented engineers and a relevant investment just to build an MVP.
Who knows if one day I will find that resource? For now I was looking for something easier to start.

Moving forward on my trip I was in Rio de Janeiro, looking at Copacabana beach from a rooftop, this very long and crowded beach in a big natural bay. In the meanwhile I was reading a book about mangroves and I visualized in my mind a barrier of floating platforms on the bay with mangroves, an amazing tree that absorbs a relevant quantity of CO2, producing oxygen, helping fishes and ecosystems, trapping plastic streams in their roots and many great benefits. It would be very interesting getting in touch with a specialist of this sector and getting to know more detail on the feasibility of it. For now it’s just a memorable flash in my mind!

In my following movements I reached the amazing natural reserve of Costa Rica, a very well preserved environment, definitely more expensive and capitalistic. This environment led me to think about how it is possible to do something good while generating revenues and value, in order to build something scalable and sustainable.
The idea is allowing everyone to contribute without using money and moving from your mobile. The user can literally make a small action with a tap, sharing a social media content with an AD of an useful eco-friendly product and the hashtag #ihelptheocean
In this way the user contributes to give visibility to an affiliate link where the revenue of the AD is reinvested in ocean-cleaning projects affiliated and validated. Over this the social media sharing of the topic is important to spread awareness about the cause, bringing people to a more educated behavior.

It sounded like something scalable, feasible, and profitable. A quickly scalable model since it is sustainable by nature.

Then I started a quick website https://ihelptheocean.com and some social media channels.

The goal is to build a global aware community that can make a substantial difference. This has to be a sustainable circle of win-win where everyone can contribute with a share and at the same time help a product that fights the impact on the environment.
Moreover, the advertiser of the eco-friendly product can reach an audience well targeted, where the message came from an interested and honest friend on a personal social media.
The funds are reused to finance ocean-cleaning projects that will be validated and checked showing the impact in full transparency.

There are many donation websites and this is the one that doesn’t ask for any money!

The engagement of the user is the currency, is the one that makes possible the circle of giving more value to great eco-friendly products, generating funds for ocean-cleaning projects, and give visibility and reputability to #ihelptheocean

To increase engagement is fundamental to build a vibrant community, with interesting contents, articles, media, and news and active community.

Unfortunately I’m not so great at doing this and I’m actively looking for partners that are enthusiastic to join the project, if you feel able to give some help you can reach me at the social profiles at the end of the article.
I love to work with talented people, on my side I’m a tech entrepreneur with experience in the startup world, with a solid background as a software developer.

Any experience complimentary at it is needed, since alone is not possible to make a tangible impact in such a big problem of taking care of our planet in a sustainable way.

At this time I’m back at my hometown in Italy, near Rome. Dreaming for the next trip and having even more time to devote to this project. It’s just starting right now in April 2023, and I’m starting to bend the growing curve.

Since the problem is affecting all of us, I’m happy to give everyone the opportunity to contribute, helping with a share, or just reach me in the social’s chat for any idea or collaboration, here the website and socials links:

http://ihelptheocean.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ihelptheocean/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091749091534
https://twitter.com/ihelptheocean

I’m so thrilled to join this new adventure and have the possibility to have an impact, doing my part in this world. This trip opened my eyes in front of global impacting problems, from plastic pollution, to sea level rise, ice caps melting and dry rivers.
When you see all of that in person it gets a different value and triggers in you the energy needed to act.