StartBlue Ocean Enterprise Accelerator Welcomes New Cohort

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• Karissa Duran- [email protected]

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Thirteen teams from across the United States are set to embark on a journey toward commercialization as part of this year's StartBlue Ocean Enterprise Acceleratorprogram at University of California San Diego.

Led by the Rady School of Management and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the StartBlue program is designed to help ocean-focused startups launch and scale their science-based data technologies and services that support the economic growth, maritime security, coastal resilience and resource management needs of the U.S. and the Blue Economy.

"UC San Diego is proud to serve as a catalyst for innovation at the intersection of science, sustainability and entrepreneurship," said Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Corinne Peek-Asa. "StartBlue exemplifies our commitment to translating cutting-edge ocean research into real-world solutions that fuel economic growth and address global challenges. With each new cohort, we are advancing the blue economy and helping shape its future."

Eligible startups are categorized into either the Launchor Scaleprogram tracks depending on their overall stage of business and their technology readiness level - a measurement system used to assess the maturity of a particular technology.

The Launchprogram is designed for early-stage startups and includes ocean entrepreneurship training classes and workshops on topics such as customer discovery, business model canvas, pitch preparation, fundraising, intellectual property and small business innovation research applications. The Scaleprogram is designed for mid-stage startups and includes training opportunities to advance their readiness level, scale operations and business development.

Teams included in this year's StartBlue program tracks include:

Launch

• AquaPoro Technologies, producing affordable water from the air
• Dolphin Labs, harnessing wave energy to power a better understanding of the oceans
• Euler Materials, creating impact-resistent materials for performance in oceanic environments
• KAHU, building a maritime intelligence network by crowdsourcing and fusing radar data from vessels into a real-time map of ocean activity
• Nereus Systems,developing an autonomous metachronal robotic platform with swarming and high-motility capabilities for underwater survey missions
• Ocean Analytical Engineering, developing chemical measurement techniques for the oceans
• Polar Geophysics Lab, enabling real-time environmental sampling and monitoring in remote locations through the deployment of cloud-connected autonomous surface vehicles

Scale

• Bellamare, producing an autonomous tool for advanced oceanic sensor deployment and data management
• Del Mar Oceanographic, creating wave-powered vertical profiling systems
• Flood Dynamics, building a tool to predict and mitigate the impact of flooding before it strikes
• LiftLabs, developing fast and user-friendly, ropeless gear to establish a pathway for whales and fishers to coexist
• Ocean Motion Technologies, forming a suite of ocean energy and data science solutions to realize the potential of big blue data
• Reefgen, unlocking global scale restoration potential by making versatile underwater vehicles

This fall, the new cohort of StartBlue teams will be provided with the entrepreneurial expertise, training and leadership of the Rady School of Management and the ocean expertise, technical development resources and innovation of Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Teams will also receive training and mentorship, networking opportunities, visibility, access to capital and non-dilutive funding and facilitated access to technology development facilities.

The StartBlue program's initial fundingin 2020 came from the Economic Development Administration's "Industry Challenge Award" that fuels high-growth entrepreneurship across the U.S., along with a local match donated by members of the Scripps Director's Council, Builder's Initiativeand other philanthropic supporters.

StartBlue's impact to date includes support for 22 ocean-focused startups that have collectively raised $10.1 million during their time in the program. StartBlue alumni startups that are making waves in ocean innovation include Kai Pono Solutions, transforming the stormwater industry with a stormwater filtration device that is low impact and easily maintained; Hybrid Reef Solutions, addressing the need for effective and sustainable solutions to protect coral reefs; and FjordPhyto, pioneering polar citizen science by connecting tourists to the importance of phytoplankton research on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded StartBlue with a $13.5 million grantas part of its Ocean Enterprise Initiativeto support accelerator programs helping entrepreneurs commercialize ocean, coastal and Great Lakes-based observation technologies, products and services.

"We are excited to partner with the StartBlue team on this first accelerator cohort as part of the Ocean Enterprise Initiative" said NOAA's Ocean Enterprise Program Manager Zack Baize. "Rady and Scripps have leveraged a great network of experts and partners to provide amazing support to ocean entrepreneurs."

StartBlue's key partners include the Port of San Diego and Blue Economy Incubator, TMA Blue Tech, CONNECT, Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS), California Sea Grant, University of San Diego, San Diego State University, Southern California Energy Innovation Network, Cleantech San Diego, Ocean Visions, 1,000 Ocean Startups, AltaSea, U.S. Coast Guard Blue Tech Center of Expertise, San Diego Small Business Development Centers and Synchro.

Visit the StartBlue websiteto learn more and connect with the StartBlue team on LinkedInor via email. To stay up to date on StartBlue and this year's cohort, subscribe to the program's newsletter.