Leading Icelandic investor/entrepreneur David Helgason announces Transition Labs to accelerate and scale global climate solutions

Transition Labs’ first partner will be Running Tide, a US-based marine climate solutions platform entering the Icelandic market to capitalize on Iceland’s global climate leadership.

Today, Icelandic entrepreneur David Helgason is proud to announce the launch of the climate initiative. transition labs. The announcement will be made at Iceland Innovation Week as part of the OK Bye! conference.

Transition Labs is an Iceland-based climate initiative that works with the highest impact climate projects around the world to quickly deploy their solutions and help them scale quickly.

“Some of the solutions to the climate crisis already exist – but they need to be identified, invested and scaled up,” comments Transition Labs Founder and Chairman David Helgason. “The scaling part is where Transition Labs comes in.

Deploying and scaling real-world solutions and technologies can have a long lead time, and we strive to shorten that lead time with our expertise, network, resources, and plug-and-play approach to getting started. In order to achieve the global climate goals, we must act now. Every moment to accelerate the delivery of effective solutions counts.”

Helgason is also pleased to announce this US based ocean solutions platform running tide is the first company to partner with Transition Labs.

“Running Tide is exactly the kind of company we build transition labs for. It has potentially massive impact, is poised to scale, and so can leverage many of Iceland’s unique strengths,” comments Kjartan Olafsson, co-founder and CEO of Transition Labs.

“Iceland is the only country in the world with 100% green and sustainable electricity generation, but the country has so much more to offer. Running Tide enters Iceland precisely because of our world-class talent pool in science and technology, our deep maritime experience and excellence, and our government and public’s core commitment to supporting and enabling global climate solutions.”

Running Tide is a cutting-edge technology company that amplifies the ocean’s natural systems to sustainably remove carbon from the atmosphere, restore ocean health, and directly benefit coastal communities and ecosystems. Iceland will be Running Tide’s first location outside of the United States, marking the beginning of their global expansion.

“Running Tide is thrilled to partner with Transition Labs and announce our expansion into Iceland,” said Marty Odlin, Founder and CEO of Running Tide.

“Our operation as a carbon-negative supply chain requires clean energy sources, access to the deep sea, an established shipping infrastructure and outstanding local talent – ​​particularly in marine sciences, advanced manufacturing, shipping and logistics, technology and maritime expertise.

Iceland offers all that and much more. We are deeply grateful for the support of our Icelandic partners, the Icelandic government and the Icelandic people in developing, deploying and scaling solutions that fight climate change and improve life, both here in Iceland and around the world.”

After co-founding Unity Technologies in 2003, David was CEO of Unity until 2014 and is now on the board of directors. With a background in the gaming industry, Davíd became interested in ‘green gaming’ before expanding this interest to climate change mitigation and adaptation and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

He sees himself as a technologist, meaning curious about technology in general, interested in connecting people and technology, with a focus on sustainability and decarbonizing the world.

That OK Bye! conference will attract artists, entrepreneurs and major international climate investors to jointly develop and scale solutions to the climate crisis.

The conference will highlight local entrepreneurs working to solve this global crisis and provide a platform for the myriad opportunities and benefits for Iceland’s climate leadership at home and around the world. Entrepreneurs and companies present the creative and innovative solutions that they develop and use. They will also engage attendees and the public directly in building a better future.