The challenge

As a rapidly growing conservation organization, Ocean Wise’s eight-person finance team struggled with an outdated expense management system inherited from their 2021 separation from the Vancouver Aquarium. Staff used physical credit cards from one of the big banks and Excel spreadsheets to track anywhere from 300 to 500 monthly transactions, and each expense required 10 minutes of manual processing. The system was particularly painful for field teams who frequently paid out of pocket for emergency supplies—from allergy-friendly snacks for youth programs to last-minute shoreline cleanup equipment. Month-end became a nightmare as managers took months to submit expenses, creating backlogs that made it difficult to report to government funders and corporate sponsors.

The solution

Ocean Wise needed a modern expense solution that could handle their complex funding requirements while empowering their decentralized teams. Enter Float—which they chose for 3 key reasons:

1. Autonomy with control‍

Virtual and physical cards (CAD & USD) are issued in seconds. Finance pre-sets limits, GL codes and approval paths by program, so field teams spend confidently without surprises.

2. Mobile, Offline-Friendly Capture

Staff snap receipts on their phones; automated reminders nudge stragglers. Compliance no longer depends on Slack pings from finance.

3. Single-Source Visibility

Every charge lands in a live dashboard, passes rule-based coding and bulk-exports straight to Sage Intacct—no spreadsheets, no duplicate entry, just a full audit trail.

“Float is keeping us afloat, operationally.”— Charlie Kattau, Staff Accountant at Ocean Wise

When Ocean Wise became independent in 2021, they inherited systems that no longer matched their ambitious conservation goals. The finance team knew they needed better tools to support their growing global impact, and Float delivered exactly that transformation.

The change was immediate and profound. Field teams led by employees like Youth Manager Brittany MacLean, finally had the flexibility they needed. Before Float, staff spent hours monitoring expenses and paying out of pocket, waiting weeks for reimbursement. Now, Brittany can buy emergency supplies for youth programs with allergies, snap a photo of the receipt and report it instantly through the app.

Director of Finance Terry Burmas saw the platform revolutionize their month-end process. What used to take hours of manual data entry—adding extra days to their close—now happens with a simple bulk upload directly into their accounting software.

“This has really improved a lot of our internal controls,” says Terry. “We now have one location where we can reference all the different receipts, all the backup support, all the right coding. It’s been really tremendous for our external auditing as well.”

The results

The numbers tell a compelling story. Ocean Wise saved over 1200 hours in their first year with Float—time now redirected toward their conservation mission. But the transformation went beyond efficiency metrics.

Charlie Kattau from the finance team explains how Float solved their decentralization challenge. Previously, only managers had cards, forcing them to be present for every purchase. Young staff members who paid out of pocket often waited three weeks or more for reimbursement—a serious retention issue for an organization dependent on passionate early-career conservationists.

The platform strengthened financial controls while actually making life easier for everyone. Ocean Wise’s strict audit requirements and complex grant reporting now flow smoothly, with proper coding and receipts captured at the point of purchase. The Canadian-based Float team proved especially responsive, constantly gathering feedback and implementing changes quickly.

As Ocean Wise expands globally, Float scales seamlessly with them. For Brittany, who spends her days protecting shorelines and educating youth, the impact is beautifully simple:

“Float makes my life extremely easy. It’s so great, it’s so accessible and it helps us get closer to protecting the ocean, putting more time where it’s actually needed,” she says.

President and CEO Lasse Gustavsson sees Float as integral to Ocean Wise’s operational excellence.

“In everything we do in Ocean Wise, we’re striving to be world-class,” he says. “Float is the best business finance platform that we have found.”

From Vancouver’s shores to programs launching in Africa and Asia, Ocean Wise proves that protecting the world’s oceans requires more than passion—it requires world-class operations. With Float, they’re achieving both.