Sometimes things in life feel like they’re just meant to be. Where the only plausible explanation is that the universe wanted it to happen…
Two weeks ago, a friend randomly sent me a message about Diatom, a new DAO designed to clean the oceans. I took a glance, then reached out to a Diatom advisor on LinkedIn and set up a call. Just 24h later, he invited me to Ultramarine Ocean Impact Summit, hosted on Necker Island the following week, where I would present to Sir Richard Branson and some of the world’s leading ocean innovators… Within 36 hours, my life changed. All from a random text, and a new LinkedIn connection.
A lot can happen in a week, especially when surrounded by 27 hand-selected entrepreneurs, innovators, explorers, and storytellers. After 7 action-packed days, I returned home Saturday night feeling deeply inspired by the amazing people I met – from the first black astronaut pilot (Sian Proctor, Ph.D.), to famous explorers like Fabien Cousteau (who is not only an incredible scientist, but also hilarious), to incredible innovators harnessing the power of crypto and NFTs for ocean conservation (Jeremy McKane), and so many others.
One of my biggest takeaways? That while people at Ultramarine have built enormously successful careers, their wins are just the byproduct of being creative, caring, open, and incredibly hard working. Whether your goal is to IPO, visit space, or save the oceans, consider the possibility that achieving your goal will be the result of creativity and openness to new ideas. And when those pieces align, the resources can, too.
As Ultramarine’s 2022 Summit participants return to our diverse corners of the world, we’re getting right to work. Our goals include deploying drones to clean our oceans and enforce sustainable fishing, helping businesses adopt more ocean-friendly practices, advancing scientific research above and below water, creating more mature blue carbon markets, and so much more.
Thank goodness for the random text that brought me to this incredible community. 2022 is going to be a big year. And if you’re inspired by what the Ultramarine community is doing, reach out anytime. You never know what a random chat will lead to.
Big blue hugs,
Tez
