Carmen Escobar

Carmen leads the impact work at 1000 Ocean Startups (1000OS), where she drives initiatives that strengthen how the global ocean innovation ecosystem understands, measures, and scales impact. Her work brings together entrepreneurs, investors, foundations, development organizations, and ecosystem partners to advance practical approaches for building a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient ocean economy.

Within 1000OS, Carmen leads several community-driven Working Groups, including the Blue Catalysts Working Group, focused on strengthening the enabling ecosystem for ocean innovation; the Dealflow Working Group, which works to improve connections between investors; and the Just & Inclusive Ocean Working Group, which advances a more equitable and inclusive approach to the transition toward a sustainable ocean economy. Through these groups, she facilitates collaboration across the ecosystem and translates collective knowledge into practical initiatives, partnerships, and opportunities.

Carmen also leads the Ocean Impact Navigator (OIN), an open-source impact measurement and management framework designed to help ocean-focused organizations identify, measure, and communicate their environmental and social impact. She oversees the development and evolution of the framework, coordinates the advisory board, and its integration into the broader ocean innovation ecosystem, working with investors, entrepreneurs, accelerators, and other stakeholders to strengthen impact practices and enable more consistent and credible measurement.

Carmen is also Co-Founder of Actual Consulting, a Colombia-based consultancy focused on sustainability, innovation, strategy, and impact. Across her work, she focuses on translating sustainability and impact ambitions into practical tools, strategies, and collaborations that can help ocean solutions become more measurable, investable, inclusive, and scalable.