2025 at a Glance
As 2025 comes to a close, we want to share a short and honest recap of what we’ve been building together at Balean.
It’s been a foundational year focused on turning ideas into action.
🌱 What We Achieved in 2025
In 2025, we focused on building the foundations of the Balean ecosystem.
Here are some key milestones:
Co-created a launch-campaign, online, in person and at the sea.
Developed and launched the MVP of the Balean platform, making it possible to connect projects and supporters in one place.
Legally established Balean in the Netherlands and submitted our ANBI (Public Benefit Organization) application.
Became a proud member of Stichting Donateursbelangen, wearing the Donateursbelangen badge with honor.
Launched and grew the Balean community, including more than 25 volunteers, partnerships and storytellers and over 500 LinkedIn community members and an epic team of co-creators!.
Collaborated with 4 colleges and universities to support research and communication efforts.
Enabled our first successful fundraisers on the platform, supporting early-adopter projects and getting resources directly to where they matter.
Released 10 inspiring ocean stories on the Balean platform.
What We Learned
Building something new comes with challenges. In 2025, we learned that:
Building trust and infrastructure takes time … but it’s worth it.
Community feedback is essential to shaping a platform that truly serves impact-driven projects.
Starting small and learning fast helps us grow sustainably.
Making cinematic drone-shots is actually very difficult.
The work we do matters, giving back more positive energy than we give!
🚀 Looking Ahead to 2026
In 2026, we’ll build on these foundations by:
Improving and expanding the Balean platform.
Supporting more projects and fundraisers.
Strengthening partnerships with communities, researchers, and impact organizations.
So what’s next for 2026?
We are continuing and expanding our collaboration with strategic partners like Pisces, Thalassa Cloud, and Intractive but also welcoming new strategic partners with extensive experience in fundraising.
Growing the community: Balean will continue to bring Awareness and Visibility for ocean impact, also towards individuals.
We’ll be connecting with interested parties and attract a wider audience of business sponsors. We are currently working on the applicable target profiles and have a shortlist of industries and suitable partners.
Meanwhile, you’ll see the Balean Platform expanding with new features, more stories, interactive elements and tools.
And we’ll be welcoming new volunteers, interns, partners and collaborators.
We’re excited to keep growing together.
💙 Thank You
Thank you for supporting Balean in its first steps.
Your trust, time, and support help us move resources where they matter most and continue building a more connected and sustainable ocean future.
Warm regards from The Balean team,
Bart & Sander