Fifteen startups have been selected for the first stage of the VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator. With the support of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we are pleased to champion these innovators as they pursue developing and commercializing technologies that will transform and build the future of 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 our growing blue economy.
From next-generation sensing technologies to food resiliency, rebuilding coastal infrastructure to on-shoring materials manufacturing, this next generation of blue innovation aims to transform America’s coastal economies. Over the next four years, the Ocean Enterprise Accelerator will scale its efforts to support up to 220 ventures through a structured, four-stage program hosted in regions across the United States. The inaugural spring 2025 Stage 1 cohort will be hosted in Rhode Island at CIC Providence and the University of Rhode Island, where robust industry and support offerings for blue tech startups from around the country will be showcased.
“We look forward to working with our inaugural Ocean Enterprise Accelerator Stage 1 startups to support them in strengthening their blue economy business opportunities in the United States. Our accelerator was carefully designed to not only provide support on customer discovery, market traction, and business model development, but to also bring wraparound resources to these innovators through mentors, coaches, and our national network of experts,” said Christina Tamer, vice president, Ventures, VentureWell.
Over a three-day in-person workshop, followed by three months of mentorship and virtual engagements, the innovators will gain an understanding of technology pathways, market applications, and funding options necessary to launch their innovations. The businesses 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, which they will use to advance their innovations.
Meet the Cohort
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.
Access to Industry-Leading Mentorship
The Ocean Enterprise Accelerator builds on VentureWell’s experience in supporting early-stage venture development. For 30 years, we have helped innovators and startups uncover opportunities, discover and validate their target market, and prepare for investment and commercialization. We meet innovators where they are in their entrepreneurial journey and design programs that help advance innovation while building a national network of experts and mentors to help.
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: Jeff Plumblee, hazard mitigation and commercialization specialist; Courtney McGeachy, former director of Ocean Visions-United Nations; and Whitney Tallarico, CEO of GRIT Consulting. Additionally, the cohort will be joined by technical analysis coaches to support the startups’ product and venture readiness journey, including Brian Kerns, advisor and angel investor; Julie Drapier, venture expert and investor; and Rob Nicholson, ocean science and technology leader. In addition, we are proud to center regional expertise from our guest speakers at MITRE Blue Tech Lab, MassCEC, Ocean Tech Hub, and Rhode Island Commerce.
We congratulate the first-ever members of our Ocean Enterprise Accelerator cohort! This Stage 1 program will be hosted April 23-25, 2025, in Providence and Narragansett, Rhode Island. 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.