BlueSwell Cohort I
Onto Their Next Adventure
The first cohort of BlueSwell is leading the way into uncharted waters. We are proud of their accomplishments over the last 5 months. It’s been inspirational to watch as they pull together the support and resources needed to begin commercialization.
We know they will create a major impact on the world.
“Starting a company is the beginning of a very long journey. It's an adventure.”
-Alissa Peterson, SeaAhead
6
COHORT
MEMBERS
<10%
PROGRAM
ACCEPTANCE
RATE
>$7.5M
RAISED BY
THE COHORT
TO DATE
4
PILOTS IN
2021
H2Ok Innovations
IoT-enabled data analytics platform helping water-dependent businesses and communities with proactive environmental management.
“Annie and I are young, first-time founders. We have high energy and high drive, and we want to be surrounded by experts and professionals and veterans within the startup space to help us navigate and think through strategies and help us grow and excel.”
– David Lu, H2Ok Innovations
Oyster Common
AI-powered chef’s assistant for connecting restaurants to shorten the supply chain, starting with local seafood.
HydroNet
Advancing the blue economy by building high-speed wifi communication for scalable underwater networks.
AKUA
A plant-based food company creating meat-alternative products from sustainable ocean-farmed kelp, including burgers, jerky and pasta.
VINCI VR
Making simulated training more effective and accessible, particularly for work in dangerous environments as found offshore.
“I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve as a mentor and advisor in the BlueSwell incubator program, and support rising stars in the industry, help contribute to building a sustainable sector, and expand my professional network.
– Linda Cornish, Seafood Nutrition Partnership
SeaDeep
SeaDeep provides enhanced ocean imaging, data visualization and analytics to create 3D color maps of the sea floor and ocean infrastructure from video data, improving access to critical insights.
Launching in the Midst of a Pandemic Has Been An… Adventure
This past year has been hard for us all. At BlueSwell, we envisioned an in-person program filled with site visits and cohort building interactions. Normally, our partnership with the Cambridge Innovation Center would have allowed the BlueSwell companies to work side-by-side in our downtown Boston offices with each other and SeaAhead’s other member companies.
Nevertheless, our founders were resilient in the face of extraordinary headwinds. We are looking forward to when we can continue to learn and connect with one another in person!
An Adventure Worth Taking
The BlueSwell team shifted focus from in-person sessions to an engaging virtual program with a dynamic set of instructors and guest speakers. We enjoyed virtual ‘cocktail hours’ with successful startup founders and accomplished CEOs. We learned a lot from workshops and 1:1 sessions with New England Aquarium scientists.
This unique group of founders, all coming to the ocean space with a backgrounds as diverse as medical technology, event management and some even straight out of university made this experience a truly special one to be a part of!
"One of the really exciting things about the BlueSwell program is that the process itself is fun - it's dynamic, and inspires energy, enthusiasm, solutions and creativity.”
– John Mandelman, New England Aquarium
“Through this program we worked with the startups on how to approach customers, on making connections into industry partners and building support structures. We make introductions to investors. And so, by the end of the program our goal is that everyone within the cohort should be prepared for how they would like to raise funding and have the resources they need to get started.”
– Alissa Peterson, SeaAhead
”My favorite part of being in the incubator is the team. They are so professionally accomplished and have such amazing networks. So they're able to make these really high level introductions, which really help on the fundraising side and strategy side. And I think that's definitely been the most helpful part of it.”
– Courtney Boyd Myers, AKUA