Five startups, newly graduated from the fourth iteration of the BlueSwell incubator, pitched their ideas at the New England Aquarium this week.
BlueSwell is a program run by SeaAhead Inc. and the aquarium to help boost startups working on ocean sustainability as well as the blue economy.
“The ocean is not just a victim, it’s also part of the solution,” said Alissa Peterson, co-founder and CEO of SeaAhead. SeaAhead’s mission, she said, is understanding the ocean’s future, and having the ability to act on that knowledge.
BlueSwell started in 2020.
Unlocking ocean data
Marine carbon removal is one promising area of ocean climate innovation, but there is still a stark lack of data because of limited ability to measure certain aspects of the ocean.
Some of the BlueSwell cohort on Thursday demonstrated technologies to reduce ocean blind spots, using deep tech to measure the deep sea.
Cohort graduate Bluemvmt, a platform-as-a-service company based in Cambridge, is a data management system for the ocean. Its technology would make it “so you don’t have to be a scientist to get answers” about the ocean, said its co-founder and CEO Joe Wheeler.
The company’s technology allows for easier processing of data from ocean sensors, and uses artificial intelligence to analyze it.
Bluemvmt’s ideal customers are companies in the offshore wind and climate mitigation industries, he said.
Measuring carbon
Two graduating startups are working on new ways to measure carbon in the ocean.
atdepth MRV, also based in Cambridge, develops sensors and modeling tools to quantify ocean carbon and understand how human interventions in the ocean are impacting the ecosystem.
Brooklyn-based Vycarb has a platform that measures ocean carbon in real-time, without reliance on models. Its method can tell researchers how different parts of the ocean will react to the chemical reaction processes involved in marine carbon removal, its founder and CEO Garrett Boudinot said.
Sustainable products
Cambridge-based DetoXyFi is developing a sustainable water filter that can decontaminate waste water. Its filtration system uses properties of wood, which is manufactured by Massachusetts-based Vinwood Sawmill to create an inexpensive, biodegradable filter. The company's ideal partners are emergency relief agencies like Oxfam or the American Red Cross, its founder, MIT professor Rohit Karnik said.
Lastly, Marinas Bio in Sacramento is using biotechnology to create cell culture-generated seafood delicacies. The company wants to reduce the impacts of unsustainable fishing.
The cohort started in September. The startups received $50,000 for the duration of participation, along with access to resources and support, advice, and community.
Upon graduating from the cohort, all of the participating startups are looking for additional funding for their continued development.
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