The company was chosen from a record number of applicants by UpLink, WEF’s global innovation platform focused on scaling purpose-driven technologies that address critical global challenges.

The Water Resilience Challenge highlights a small group of startups developing new ways to strengthen global water systems. Flocean’s selection places it among innovators tackling different aspects of the growing freshwater crisis, from infrastructure resilience to contamination, reuse and agricultural efficiency.

Global water use has increased by around 25% since 2000, with a significant share of that growth occurring in regions already experiencing water stress. Beyond supply constraints, the crisis is being driven by aging infrastructure, inefficient irrigation, industrial pollution, and the high energy and land demands associated with conventional desalination technologies. Against this backdrop, the World Economic Forum has emphasized the need for coordinated solutions rather than isolated interventions.

Flocean’s technology focuses on subsea desalination, designed to make coastal desalination significantly more efficient. The company reports that its approach uses around 50% less energy, requires 90% less land and avoids the discharge of toxic brine associated with traditional plants. Within the Water Resilience Challenge cohort, Flocean’s work complements other solutions aimed at strengthening infrastructure, removing industrial contaminants and improving water reuse.

Following a recent extension of its Series A funding round, Flocean is partnering with Xylem and Xylem Innovation Labs to accelerate the global deployment of its subsea desalination systems. The company is also supported by a group of investors including Burnt Island Ventures, Freebird Capital, Katapult Ocean, Nysnø Climate Investments, Ari Emanuel, Orion, Rypples and Wellers Impact’s Water Unite Impact Fund.