BlueSwell is back with its third cohort of bluetech startup founders.
Six projects were accepted into the latest BlueSwell incubator, a program run by SeaAhead Inc. and the New England Aquarium. BlueSwell said it supports early-stage startups developing solutions to ocean health, sustainable ocean industry and global resilience.
“From an extensive applicant pool, we found these ventures to have far reaching impact on how we interact with the ocean,” said Katherine Woolford, BlueSwell program manager, in a statement.
Meet the startups in this new cohort:
- Aloft Systems Inc. wants to make clean, renewable and free wind energy available for the maritime industry by retrofitting current ships with wind propulsion. By reducing fuel consumption, Aloft said it can immediately help cut emissions.
- Berkeley Marine Robotics is also working in the shipping industry. This California-based startup is using autonomous underwater robotic systems and communication technologies to help ships lower fuel CO2 emissions and help ports protect marine ecosystems.
- Fathom is in the process of launching a platform that helps companies meet their net zero climate goals by providing carbon credits from the world’s best ocean projects.
- Current Lab is building high detail ocean forecast maps to improve the efficiency and safety of maritime operations. The startup is based in Newport, Rhode Island.
- Ocean Data Network is a startup from Portland, Maine. The company outfits fishing vessels with its data collection service to provide oceanographic information in difficult-to-monitor ocean shelves. It delivers the findings in real-time to improve ocean models and operational forecasts.
- Radamantis is an Ohio-based environmental engineering company that is developing tech to automate the handling and processing of aquatic animals in the field and in commercial aquaculture facilities. The company said its tech helps improve seafood production with precision aquaculture.
Each of these startups will complete an individualized 20-week curriculum and receive guidance from SeaAhead and the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. The startups will have access to space at the Cambridge Innovation Center in Kendall Square while they complete the program. BlueSwell said the cohort will kick off their program on Sept. 13 with mentor matching, industry site visits and sessions on creating a product with market fit.
BlueSwell announced earlier this year that it was increasing the stipend each participant received to $50,000. The incubator also welcomed its first entrepreneurs-in-residence, Ed Cesare and Pascal Mittermaier, to share their entrepreneurial experiences through one-one-one mentorship.
Since June 2020, the incubator has supported 13 startups that have raised $16.5 million to scale their businesses.
“The health of our planet depends on the ocean, and the New England Aquarium is excited to guide another cohort of innovative start-ups focused on fostering a vibrant ocean and blue economy,” said John Mandelman, vice president and chief scientist of the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. “The BlueSwell incubator program is a key focus for the Aquarium, which advises long-time and emerging industries on ocean-friendly practices.”
