More than a decade ago, as they were studying ports and industrial shorelines, two marine biologists, Dr. Ido Sella and the late Dr. Shimrit Perkol-Finkel, noted that standard concrete, the material used in roughly 70% of marine infrastructure, gives sea life almost nothing to grow on. Its chemistry and smooth surface favored invasive species and leaves coastlines barren below the waterline.

In response, Sella and Perkol-Finkel developed a patented admixture and surface treatment that changes the chemistry, texture and structure of concrete infrastructure so that marine organisms can settle and develop, while still meeting all materials and engineering standards. They also found that as oysters, algae and other life colonize a structure, they form a protective layer that strengthens it and stores carbon.

ECOncrete raised $14 million in May to expand its marine construction technology worldwide. The round is a milestone for the company, as it works to make one of the most common building materials more sustainable for structures and ocean life. Haskell, through its innovation and Venture arm, Dysruptek, has been an ECOncrete investor since 2024.

The technology is the only scientifically validated solution of its kind, backed by patents on its formulations and molds. Its licensing model delivers the technology to builders who use local concrete and labor, making the business scalable.

“We spend a lot of time looking at materials that could change how our industry builds, and ECOncrete stood out because the science was already proven in the water,” said Cutler Knupp, Haskell’s Vice President of Finance and Corporate Development. “Investing in them made sense for Haskell as we’re always looking for ways to invest in more sustainable solutions for our industry. It’s been exciting to see such a development for coastal infrastructure.”

Builders Vision led the recent funding round, with Barclays Climate Ventures and Monaco’s ReOcean Fund participating. Over the past 18 months, ECOncrete has delivered more than 20 projects, created more than 90,000 square meters of habitat and more than tripled its revenue.

The company operates from four hubs across several continents. It is headquartered in the United States and is active on both coasts.

• At the Port of Vancouver, in Canada, federal regulators are studying the modified concrete’s ecological performance.
• In Northern Europe, it formed a Danish subsidiary to better support the North Sea market, where coastal and offshore developers must design infrastructure that supports marine ecosystems.
• It also provides the technology to projects around Europe, from the UK to Italy, France and Spain, New Zealand and the Middle East.
• At the Port of San Diego, ECOncrete’s Coastalock armor units have supported more than 60 marine species over several years of monitoring, with the port approving an expansion.
• In New York, the company has worked on a series of waterfront projects, including the Living Breakwaters off Staten Island, a post-Hurricane Sandy project that cut mitigation costs by roughly 80%.

Each project begins with research into what grows on the local seabed and a design built to help that life flourish.

ECOncrete invests in monitoring and reporting tools and supports project owners with data and predictable ecological uplift for permitting and environmental compliance. Those tools serve a financial purpose. Nature-inclusive design can speed permitting, lower mitigation fees and garner community support.

Sea levels are rising, storms are intensifying and the need for resilient coastal infrastructure is critical. Haskell’s investment puts the firm behind a company that builds that infrastructure while restoring the ecosystems around it.

Concrete shapes much of what we build along the world’s coastlines, yet for decades it has been associated with poor ecological performance, low biodiversity, the dominance of invasive species, and degraded water quality,” said Dr. Sella, Co-Founder and CEO of ECOncrete.

“Our technology changes that. We can protect communities, meet the highest engineering standards, and create functional marine habitats within the same structure. This funding will enable us to bring that solution to more working and urbanized waterfronts around the world.

Learn more about Haskell’s investment in a smarter, more sustainable future for the architecture, engineering and construction industries.