BlueSwell program selects fifth cohort of startup companies focused on supporting ocean sustainability

BOSTON, MASS. (September 10, 2024) – SeaAhead, Inc. and the New England Aquarium have selected a fifth cohort of startup companies for BlueSwell, a bluetech accelerator program with a focus on bridging the gaps between innovators, ocean experts, and the venture community. To improve ocean health, sustainable ocean industry, and global resilience, BlueSwell supports the creation and growth of solutions-based startup companies.

“This program was designed to support high-growth companies that will make an impact for the ocean and blue economy, and the eight startups in our fifth cohort – our largest ever – are poised to do just that,” said Emiley Lockhart, Associate Vice President for Ocean Sustainability, Technology, and Innovation in the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. “Taking action for the ocean is a crucial element of the work we do at the New England Aquarium, and we are excited to see how these companies step up to the challenge.”

These eight companies span a variety of impact areas, such as marine debris and pollution, climate change and coastal resilience, and renewable energy. The startup companies are:

• ARMADA Marine Robotics – ARMADA Marine Robotics is bringing scalable infrastructure to marine monitoring via an array of highly maneuverable underwater drones, allowing for an efficient and flexible new method to collect vital ocean data.
• Coastal Measures – Coastal Measures offers an AI-powered data hub that enables customers to unify data streams and gain unprecedented insight into environmental behavior through an intuitive user interface.
• Crewless Marine– Crewless Marine provides low-cost, low-power, and scalable passive acoustic devices for uncrewed surface vehicles, undersea vehicles, and acoustic monitoring stations. These sensors allow for acoustic monitoring of marine mammals and shipping traffic to ensure ocean noise pollution does not negatively impact marine species.
• Dottir Labs – Dottir Labs is building advanced, real-time sensing systems for monitoring inland aquaculture and other aquatic environments. This enables decision-makers to safeguard ocean and water ecosystems while sustainably meeting global food demands.
• Eddy Analytics – Eddy Analytics’ custom-built Digital Twins combine hydrodynamic simulations with biological data. This helps optimize reef restoration success, create early warning systems for natural disasters, trace land-based sources of pollution, site aquaculture operations, and test out proposed infrastructure developments that optimize outcomes and minimize environmental impacts.
• HydroPhos Solutions – HydroPhos Solutions is utilizing filtration technology to extract phosphorus from wastewater and resell it in a form that is directly usable in fertilizer, addressing eutrophication and the global phosphorus shortage.
• Kai Pono Solutions – Kai Pono Solutions is replacing conventional stormwater drainage with a high-performing filtration system that can be placed in the curb and gutter line. This provides a proactive approach to mitigating stormwater pollution by removing trash, harmful chemicals, and other pollutants from urban runoff.​
• WATABOT – Watabot is revolutionizing water quality management by integrating cutting-edge robotics and AI to provide real-time, accurate monitoring and early warning systems for harmful algal blooms and other water contaminants. This technology enhances the safety of water resources and contributes significantly to environmental conservation, public health protection, and the sustainable management of clean water.

The program provides teams with $25,000 of funding to support their participation in the BlueSwell program. Alongside this financial support, teams will have access to leaders from industry, investment, academia, government, and NGOs; a cohort of peer companies to learn from; and mentorship, including a hybrid curriculum designed to improve their leadership skills and business acumen. Five startups graduated from BlueSwell’s fourth cohort earlier this year, with business concepts ranging from real-time marine carbon measurement to cellular agriculture. In total, 24 startups have gone through the BlueSwell program and have raised over $38 million in grants and investments since joining the program.

“Cohort V’s eight startups are led by a diverse group of founders dedicated to building a better future for all,” said Julia Pangan, BlueSwell Program Manager. “BlueSwell is designed to help each company build its network, prepare for funding, and maximize its potential for environmental, social, and economic impact. The team and I look forward to working with each cohort member to achieve these goals.”

Over the next six months, the startups will receive individualized guidance from SeaAhead; the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, the Aquarium’s ocean science, policy, and advising arm; and an extended network of advisors. Cohort V begins on September 17.

The BlueSwell program is made possible by sponsoring foundations, public sector entities, companies, and individuals that prioritize the ocean as a source of solutions, including Builders Initiative, Oceankind, the Innovation Institute at the MassTech Collaborative, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office, the U.S. Economic Development Agency, the URI Research Foundation, Cambridge Innovation Center, Ørsted, UMass Boston, Giant Shoulders, Foley Hoag, and the generous support of private family foundations and individuals.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jenn Seabolt, for the New England Aquarium – jenn@teakmedia.com; 808-372-9065

Julia Pangan, BlueSwell Program Manager, SeaAhead – Julia.pangan@sea-ahead.com