Pierre Erwes is an oceanographer, an engineer in IT and Robotics with a master in pharmaceutical marketing. He is an entrepreneur with more than thirty-five years of international experience, primarily in the areas of marine bio resources and new technologies. He exercised managerial responsibilities in several companies and international groups.
From 2005 to 2008, under the chairmanship of Raymond Barre the former Prime Minister of France, Pierre Erwes worked at the Scientific Foundation of Lyon, during which he supported the development of innovative projects, oversaw the organization of BioVision (the World Life Sciences Forum), BioSquare (a biotech convention), and created the first BioMarine event in 2008. Soon after, Pierre developed BioMarine independently and built and international network, quickly recognized as the broker for innovation, international collaborations, and investment in the marine bioresources industry.
BioMarine is recognized as the first and only industry and investment platform dedicated to marine bio resources. Since 2008, it has significantly contributed to the economic development of several blue regions and countries.
In 2013 Pierre Erwes launched the BioMarine International Cluster’s Association. Under the honorary chairmanship of HSH prince Albert II of Monaco, BICA’s mission was to foster new direct business opportunities based on direct interregional and blue cities collaboration. BICA benefited from a strong international business platform and an intensely networked set of marine bio-clusters. In 2018 he merged under the same umbrella “BioMarine Online Community” BICA, BioMarine Convention, MyBlueCity and BioMarine Consulting. The new entity will support and accelerate business ventures and facilitate the financing of transnational projects.
After the 2018 BioMarine convention, Pierre Erwes initiated a blue bioplastic consortium, which brought together technology providers, raw material producers, and large industry players. This consortium has already received support from governments and industry key players. In addition to finding sufficient sources of seaweed for the consortium, Pierre Erwes has also launched an international seaweed organization. This organization draws on regional cooperatives of producers from Quebec, Mexico, French Polynesia, Alaska, Norway, Portugal, Madagascar, Australia and New Zealand, as well as key industry leaders from the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food and nutrition, and space industries.
In 2019, Pierre Erwes participated to the EU report on cellular mariculture and the disruptive aspects of the fish grown cell and cell plant technologies. A new consortium was subsequently launched to allow industry players to financially de-risk the technology and allow international interactions.
In 2020, in partnership with Isabelle de Cremoux, the CEO of Seventure Partner (an investment firm that has already 1.1 b € under management), Pierre began to work on the launch of “Blue Forward”, a private equity fund dedicated to the blue economy. The fund invests in innovative blue companies to relieve pressure of human activities on the planetary boundaries. The fund aggregates the companies’ outcomes on measurable environmental KPIs.
Since 2008, Pierre Erwes has supported the development of over 40 SMEs from the BioMarine network by raising capital, developing new contracts, and opening new markets around the world. He is now ready to accelerate the companies which received funding form Blue Forward and participate to their global deployment.