Clean technologies have great potential to help solve many of the challenges our oceans face. However, getting a clean technology business up and running is really tough. Not only do entrepreneurs have to have great ideas, but they also have to have grit, determination and lots of funding to develop prototypes, run pilot projects to test their designs, make alterations if necessary, run more tests and then hopefully start manufacturing once they’ve convinced enough companies to try something new, which is sometimes the hardest part!

PortTech is a non-profit business incubator that helps entrepreneurs with clean technologies get their businesses up and running. The organization focuses on identifying clean technologies that solve environmental challenges at the ports such as air quality, energy efficiency and water quality. PortTech connects entrepreneurs with business opportunities at the ports, provides business consulting, marketing assistance and a variety of other services a startup needs to be successful. The ultimate goal is to have more clean technologies in use at the ports and cleaner ports mean a cleaner ocean, which is always a good thing.

In order to support the work they’re doing, PortTech applied for the LA2050 Grants Challenge and only the top five organizations in each category win. So please take a moment to vote for PortTech if you believe in the potential of clean technologies, the ingenuity of entrepreneurs and the possibility of cleaner oceans. All you have to do is vote by clicking a button on the LA2050 Grants Challenge website, it’s easy!

Note: Full disclosure, while I wasn’t paid to write this post, I do freelance writing work for PortTech and really hope that they win! That said, I think it’s a great organization and I believe in their mission and the potential positive impacts clean technologies can have on the environment and oceans.