Millicent Pitts

Millicent (Milly) Pitts has led Ocean Exchange, the Fort Lauderdale nonprofit that awards non-dilutive grants to ocean and blue-economy startups, since 2013. Founded in 2010, Ocean Exchange has distributed more than $2 million to over 150 finalists, and its former finalists have gone on to raise $3.1 billion. In 2025 the Garden Club of America awarded her the Elizabeth Craig Weaver Proctor Medal for promoting global innovation in support of healthy oceans and a sustainable blue economy. Milly serves on the steering committee of 1000 Ocean Startups with the UN Decade Collaborative Center for Ocean Climate Solutions, on the leadership team of Ocean Visions, and as a mentor in Creative Destruction Lab's Oceans stream in Halifax; she has judged programs for NREL and PNNL. Before Ocean Exchange she spent 30 years in the chemical and materials industry, most recently at BASF, in Houston, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Valencia. She holds an MBA from the Wharton School. At EarthX 2025 she ran the Blue Economy Start-Up Pitch Competition and returns as a breakout speaker at EarthX 2026. Ocean Exchange is a Founding Blue partner. Milly spoke at Founding Blue's startup networking night for tech founders at General Provision Las Olas.