Protecting What Matters. Powering What’s Next.
The 2025 Impact Challenge focuses on solutions that:
Drive Sustainable Economic Growth
Preserve Marine Ecosystems
Foster Local Leadership & Ownership
Build Climate Resilience
Strategic impact Areas
By investing in ocean-friendly innovation, the VI Purpose Fund is helping to position the BVI as a global model for environmental entrepreneurship.
The health of our oceans is at a critical crossroads, with declining fish stocks and degraded coastlines, to mounting pollution and climate-induced threats - the marine ecosystems we depend on (both locally and globally) are under severe pressure. These challenges not only threaten biodiversity and food security but also the social, cultural, and economic fabric of communities across the Virgin Islands and beyond.
At Unite BVI, we believe in the power of purpose-driven entrepreneurship to turn the tide. Through the 2025 Impact Challenge, powered by The VI Purpose Fund, we are seeking bold, business-based solutions that address urgent environmental issues head-on. This year, we are focusing on four strategic impact areas, each critical to restoring and preserving the vitality of our ocean. While the scale of the challenge is immense, so too is the opportunity to make a difference.
Together, we can shift the trajectory from decline to regeneration. Read through our four Impact Areas below, and see where your innovation can make the biggest waves.
Impact Area 1
Sustainable Fisheries
The Challenge
Overfishing and unsustainable harvesting practices are pushing global fish populations to the brink. In the Caribbean, marine life such as lobster, conch, and fish (grouper, snapper, mahi mahi, etc.) are not just part of our heritage, they are essential to our food systems, economies, and ecosystems.
The Opportunity
Sustainable fisheries ensure that these resources are harvested responsibly, with practices that maintain healthy populations and protect marine biodiversity. This includes science-based stock management, seasonal and size restrictions, and gear innovations that minimize bycatch and habitat destruction.
We are seeking business ideas that champion responsible harvesting, aquaculture innovations, or supply chain solutions that make sustainable seafood the norm, not the exception.
Impact Area 2
Eco-Tourism
The Challenge
Tourism is a cornerstone of the Virgin Islands economy, but without careful stewardship, it can place enormous strain on natural habitats and local communities. Ecotourism offers a better way forward.
The Opportunity
It is rooted in respect for nature, cultural heritage, and community empowerment. Ecotourism creates meaningful, educational experiences for visitors while directing resources toward conservation efforts and alternative livelihoods for local people.
We are looking for business models that make tourism a force for good – ventures that educate, inspire, and protect, while generating sustainable income and raising awareness of our islands’ unique ecological and cultural value.
Impact Area 3
Coastal Resilience
The Challenge
Rising seas, stronger storms, and coastal erosion are no longer distant threats – they are here. Across the Virgin Islands and other small island nations, climate change is already reshaping coastlines, threatening infrastructure, displacing communities, and endangering marine habitats.
The Opportunity
Coastal resilience means more than adapting, it means fortifying the ecosystems that protect us. Mangrove restoration, coral reef rehabilitation, natural shoreline buffers, and climate-smart infrastructure are just a few tools that can enhance the resilience of both people and nature.
We want to support entrepreneurs developing solutions that help our coasts thrive under pressure, combining innovation with local knowledge to build a more resilient future.
Impact Area 4
Eco-Waste Management
The Challenge
Marine pollution, much of it stemming from mismanaged waste on land, is suffocating ocean life. Plastic waste, untreated sewage, and chemical runoff are contaminating our waters, harming wildlife, and threatening the long-term health of island communities.
The Opportunity
Eco-waste management is about rethinking how we handle waste, from reducing generation at the source to creating circular economies where materials are reused, repurposed, or regenerated.
We are seeking business ideas that tackle pollution at its root – solutions that rethink packaging, drive local recycling, convert waste into value, or ideally, prevent environmental harm before it happens through scalable, forward-thinking innovation.
A Call to Action
Our oceans are in crisis, but we are not powerless. The 2025 Impact Challenge is a call to action for entrepreneurs with bold ideas and the determination to implement them. If your business solution can heal the ocean, uplift communities, and generate lasting impact, we want to hear from you!
This is your moment to be part of something bigger – to be a force for good, for the Virgin Islands, and for the world.
