Supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), VentureWell is championing these innovators as they develop and commercialize technologies that will bolster economic development and resiliency on America’s coasts. Together, VentureWell and NOAA are working to achieve the overarching goal of the Ocean Enterprise Accelerator program—to support the adoption of new ocean data technologies and services for economic and societal benefit to the United States and its growing blue economy.
The three-day gathering, held at Cambridge Innovation Center Providence and the University of Rhode Island (URI) Bay Campus, marked the official launch of the program’s first phase. During the event, participants learned about customer discovery, technology development pathways, market applications, and funding opportunities needed to launch and scale their businesses.
“Our accelerator is empowering innovators to create lasting change in the blue economy,” said Tricia Compas-Markman, Director of National Venture Programs at VentureWell. “With coaching, mentorship, and access to our broad network of experts, we’re equipping these startups with the resources they need to transform their ideas into impactful, scalable solutions.”
The convening highlighted Rhode Island’s robust industry ecosystem and support network for bluetech startups. Participants engaged in intensive conversational and reflective work on their businesses, connected with expert mentors and instructors, and toured leading facilities that showcased the region as a national hub for ocean innovation.
“As the public flagship R1 land- and sea-grant university of Rhode Island, URI is proud to serve as a destination and technical hub for ocean innovators,” said Kenna Rubin, Associate Dean of Research at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography. “We look forward to a long and productive partnership with VentureWell. This collaboration with our Oceanography and Ocean Engineering programs will harness the world-class research and development facilities on the Narragansett Bay Campus—made possible through Rhode Island’s strategic investments. Together, this industry partnership will help accelerate the next generation of maritime ventures and professionals, contributing to US economic prosperity.”
The participants are now engaging in three months of virtual workshops, one-on-one mentorship, and personalized support to develop their Product Readiness Roadmaps.
From next-generation sensing technologies to food resiliency, rebuilding coastal infrastructure to on-shoring materials manufacturing, this new wave of blue innovation is working to transform America’s coastal economies.
Over the next four years, the Ocean Enterprise Accelerator will support up to 220 ventures through a structured, four-stage program hosted in regions across the United States. The innovators will gain an understanding of technology pathways, market applications, and funding options necessary to launch their innovations.
“The launch of this inaugural cohort of the VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator represents a major milestone in advancing ocean innovation,” said Zack Baize, Ocean Enterprise Program Manager at NOAA. “We’re proud to partner with VentureWell to support innovative technologies that will drive growth and resilience in the US ocean economy.”
The teams will receive dedicated guidance from blue economy experts, intensive training, and opportunities to continue building and refining their innovations in preparation for a funnel that can provide up to four years of staged mentorship and over $140,000 in non-dilutive awards. Each startup participating in this stage will receive $15,000 in Technology Development and Commercialization (TDC) awards to advance their innovations.
The inaugural cohort of Stage 1 of the VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator is:
Aloft Systems
Burlington, Massachusetts
Aloft is reducing costs for maritime shipping through robotics, ocean data, and propulsion.
Blue Mvmt, Inc.: AI-Powered, IoT Integration
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Blue Mvmt, Inc. is transforming how organizations discover, process, and leverage ocean data. Its mission is to empower users with cutting-edge solutions that optimize data utilization for informed decision-making and innovation and to provide real-time insights for national security and oceanographic research.
Blue Sea Farms
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Blue Sea Farms has pioneered a novel patented near-shore seaweed processing technology and a towable digitized farming system.
CargoCheck
Bellevue, Washington
CargoCheck verification technology helps manufacturing and transportation pros safely deliver chemical cargo with precision.
Coastal Measures
Greenland, New Hampshire
Coastal Measures works with ocean sensor manufacturers to integrate their real-time data streams into CUMULUS, a cloud-based ocean data platform that aggregates and standardizes multi-modal data.
Diversican Corporation
Suwanee, Georgia
Diversican Corporation is a water treatment company that provides submicron (bacteria-sized) capable centrifuge technology to improve ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) and to pioneer Great Lake BWTS.
Drift Marine Systems
Bellevue, Washington
Drift-RMT is a self-sustaining, self-propelled ocean surface drifter designed for enhanced, ongoing data collection integrity.
FishLAT (Fisheries Location Assessment Technology)
Laguna Beach, California | Durham, New Hampshire | Dahlonega, Georgia
FishLAT is a spatial planning tool that uses machine learning to predict how the removal, reefing, or installation of offshore infrastructure will impact the environment and fisheries.
Hydronet: Connected Underwater Intelligence
Burlington, Massachusetts
Hydronet enables smart, software-defined underwater connectivity, sensing, and analytics, revolutionizing ocean industries with real-time, artificial intelligence (AI)–driven decision-making for a fully connected blue economy.
Lacuum: Innovating Water Cleanup
Ann Arbor, Michigan
An amphibious Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) equipped with proprietary algorithms aims to tackle water surface pollution and invasive algae and plants.
Mira Intel
Boston, Massachusetts
Mira Intel uses AI-powered drones and patented camera technology for enhanced structural monitoring to promote resilience and sustainability in coastal and critical infrastructure.
Ocean Intelligence on Demand with Astraeus Ocean Systems
Bellingham, Washington
Astraeus Ocean Systems delivers affordable, real-time ocean intelligence on demand with an innovative software-driven platform that coordinates fleets of autonomous vessels deployed around the globe.
OctaPulse: AI Precision Aquaculture
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
OctaPulse revolutionizes aquaculture with AI-driven inspections and automation to cut costs and boost yield, allowing farms to scale to combat the effects of overfishing and meet the growing demand for seafood.
Sea-Gal Technologies Inc.: Low-Cost Underwater Acoustic Imaging Systems for Biofouling Detection
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Sea-Gal Technologies Inc. has developed a synthetic aperture acoustic imaging system using compressive sensing for ultra-high resolution underwater monitoring at low cost.
Soarce
Orlando, Florida
Soarce converts biomass like seaweed into high-performance nanomaterials for composites in infrastructure, transport, energy, and sports, enhancing strength and lightness at a fraction of traditional costs.
For more information about the VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator, visit https://venturewell.org/ocean-enterprise-accelerator/.
