VentureWell, supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has selected 17 startups for the Fall 2025 Stage 1 cohort of the Ocean Enterprise Accelerator. From cutting-edge ocean data and more dependable marine power to next-generation bio-based materials, these teams deliver a range of inspiring solutions—each reducing costs, opening markets, and strengthening domestic supply chains
Building on momentum from both our Spring 2025 cohort and our introductory Stage 0 program, the Fall 2025 workshops of Stage 1 continue to advance commercialization readiness.
This program supports the future of coastal innovation through three months of targeted mentorship and virtual sessions, a three-day in-person workshop, and a $15,000 Technology Development and Commercialization (TDC) award for each company. Participants also gain access to a multi-year support pipeline, offering staged mentorship and more than $140,000 in additional non-dilutive funding opportunities.
Meet the Fall 2025 Cohort
Bialume
Juneau, Alaska
Stage 0 alumnus
Real-time, handheld biomarker diagnostic system using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to transform bioimpedance data into field-ready analytics for critical decision-making in conservation, aquaculture, and ecosystem management.
Bioechem
Boston, Massachusetts
Stage 0 alumnus
A solution to the problem of uncertain and unstable power supply to the sensors and microelectronics in drastic weather changing ocean environments.
Blue Lotus Energy
San Diego, California
Portable and resilient power devices for continuous off-grid power for instruments, vehicles, and maritime operations.
Ceretune
Mount Olive, North Carolina
Floating fabric platforms that use plants and microbes to remove water pollution while producing useful biomass.
Cordelia Biosciences
Keystone Heights, Florida
Stage 0 alumnus
Chemical innovation powered by marine microbial feedstocks and an integrated genomics and phenotypic database.
Deep Anchor Solutions
Houston, Texas
Compact anchoring systems enabling quiet installation and scalable, local fabrication for floating marine infrastructure.
Dirigo Sea Farm
Portland, Maine
Seaweed-based materials platform designed to replace plastics at scale while growing demand for domestically farmed kelp.
Dottir Labs
Somerville, Massachusetts
Large-scale Raman spectroscopy network for real-time, molecular-level water-quality monitoring to advance aquaculture and ocean health.
Ecoplasticity
San Luis Obispo, California
Seaweed-based coating sourced from invasive sargassum to replace plastic linings in food packaging, making containers compostable and landfill-degradable while protecting reef ecosystems.
Fiora Mara
New York, New York
Stage 0 alumnus
Ocean-based carbon removal using bio-friendly, self-sinking seaweed farms deployed at scale.
Lotus
San Diego, California
Bridges the nearshore data gap by enlisting surfers with smartwatches as a distributed, high-fidelity ocean sensor network.
Lukera Energy
Carrboro, North Carolina
Converts waste methane and seawater into green methanol via nanobubble-assisted electrocatalysis, targeting step-change energy efficiency.
MarineSitu
Seattle, Washington
Hardware-enabled, subscription software for real-time monitoring of marine infrastructure, reducing costly manual interventions and downtime.
Nucleic Sensing Systems
St. Paul, Minnesota
Autonomous, continuous biosensing to quantify environmental DNA/RNA (eDNA/eRNA) for oceans and aquaculture.
Pittsburgh Coastal Energy
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Modular, onboard energy converters delivering subsea power to autonomous maritime systems.
Sitkana
Juneau, Alaska
Modular energy systems delivering affordable, reliable power to remote coastal communities using predictable ocean currents
VesselOps
New Bedford, Massachusetts
Stage 0 alumnus
Data-driven fleet management with 3D visualization, trip compliance, digital authentication, and reporting for commercial fishing vessels and other offshore operations
Access to Industry-Leading Mentorship
During this accelerator program, participants will unlock one-to-one mentorship from industry leaders experienced in ocean commercialization. We are pleased to welcome the lead instructors: Benjamin Lesage, former global coordinator for the Ocean Solutions Accelerator; Courtney McGeachy, former director of Ocean Visions-United Nations; and Annam Quraishi, instructor for the Northwest NSF I-Corps™ Hub. Additionally, the cohort will be joined by technical analysis coaches to support the startups’ product and venture readiness journey, including Julie Drapier, venture expert and investor; Brian Kerns, advisor and angel investor; and Rob Nicholson, ocean science and technology leader. We are also proud to center regional expertise from the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds and other stakeholders in the Seattle area.
We congratulate this second cohort of the Ocean Enterprise Accelerator Stage 1 program, which will be hosted virtually September 24-November 12, 2025, with support continuing through the in-person workshops in Seattle, November 18-20. Stay tuned for more exciting updates, and stay informed about VentureWell’s expanded offerings and opportunities for innovators and entrepreneurs by joining our mailing list.