Fujitsu has spun out the first startup of its entrepreneurship program, Fujitsu Innovation Circuit (FIC). The startup, BLUABLE, produces kits to encourage seaweed bed growth, to measure the blue carbon secured through use of their kits, and to report that blue carbon for carbon credits. The company is conducting field trials for seaweed bed cultivation at 16 undersea locations in Japan.
BLUABLE secured funding in November from Spinout Capital Fund No.1, a Japanese venture capital fund for corporate spinouts. The funds will be used to validate the product-market fit of the products and services developed.
A significant amount of blue carbon is stored in seaweed, and a rise in seawater temperatures has caused a loss of seaweed beds and damage to seawater quality and conditions. BLUABLE aims to promote carbon neutrality and contribute to the sustainability of the marine environment by providing services related to blue carbon, i.e., carbon captured and stored in the world’s ocean and coastal ecosystems.
The company plans to verify more advanced measuring techniques for blue carbon using IoT and AI. And Fujitsu will provide its technology to BLUABLE, including its ocean digital twin, as it works toward preserving the world’s marine environment.
FIC, launched in November 2021 as part of Fujitsu Transformation, is a program to cultivate human resources with entrepreneurial skills and generate new businesses. FIC is comprised of the Ignition program that seeks to cultivate entrepreneurship, and the Challenge program that encourages employees to create new businesses. Over 2,500 Fujitsu employees around the world are participating in FIC.
