BlueSwell, New England's first incubator for bluetech startups, has announced the second of its two new entrepreneurs in residence.
Pascal Mittermaier will work with early-stage companies accepted into the BlueSwell program run by the New England Aquarium and SeaAhead Inc., a Boston-based organization that supports ocean-focused startups.
SeaAhead announced his appointment this morning in its newsletter, while also teasing the upcoming announcement of its third BlueSwell cohort.
Katherine Woolford, BlueSwell’s program manager, said Mittermaier’s appointment will run for the length of the third cohort’s program from September through February. He will join finance professional Edward Cesare, whose appointment was announced earlier this summer, as BlueSwell’s first entrepreneurs in residence.
Mittermaier has had a 30-year career spanning biotechnology, sustainability and environmental roles, per the announcement.
Most recently he was the global managing director for cities at The Nature Conservancy, where he focused on bringing nature into the world’s largest cities to make them more resilient and equitable. He was at The Nature Conservancy between 2014 and 2019. During his time there, Mittermaier also joined the advisory board for SeaAhead.
Prior to that, Mittermaier worked on sustainable urban regeneration projects, including building the 2012 Olympic Village in England, as head of sustainability in Europe for global property company Lend Lease.
Mittermaier made the move to work in sustainable development after spending two decades as president and general manager of Roche Canada and CEO of Roche Italy. His work there focused on biotechnology and molecular diagnostic products for the treatment of cancers and HIV.
In the announcement, SeaAhead said that Mittermaier’s experience transitioning between business executive and environmental roles will allow him to coach young founders on how to handle “moments of upheaval and introspection.” SeaAhead said Mittermaier is looking forward to helping BlueSwell founders build self-awareness and broader skills around diversity and multi-stakeholder engagement.
Mittermaier will work alongside Cesare to support bluetech startups in the soon-to-be-announced BlueSwell cohort. Cesare brings close to 40 years of experience in asset-based lending, mezzanine and equity investing. He also spends a good amount of time on the water as a sailor and ocean racer.
The BlueSwell program brings together founders, ocean experts, industry leaders and venture capitalists to develop bluetech projects. SeaAhead provides business expertise and connections to its network. The New England Aquarium gives founders access to its ocean conservation research and its scientists. Each startup in this cohort will receive $50,000 in funding to help bring their projects from the lab toward commercialization.
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