Blue Institute takes interdisciplinary actions for resilient oceans & waters.
Climate Innovation for our Blue Planet
BLUE Excelerator BX = accelerator + excellence
Background information: the BLUE Excelerator is a specialized Advanced Topics accelerator for BlueTech and ClimateTech companies that have already completed an accelerator, or have an established business, an mvp, and a business plan that has been vetted through another source such as a university or government business development agency. While there are many programs that do a fabulous job of advancing a startups' business model, BlueTech and ClimateTech startups - particularly those in the marine or water hardware/software space - often face unique challenges for their next steps (as opposed to an App startup). It is from this need that the BLUE Excelerator was developed and launched in 2020 focusing on "Advanced Topics in Pilots & Prototyping."
We are an all volunteer crew, the program is free, we do not take equity, and our mentors have committed to no financial business involvement with any of the cohort for six months after the Demo Day. The program was designed and deployed by Blue Innovation Labs in 2020. Since moving the program to the Blue Institute in 2022 we have expanded the BLUE Excelerator to 12 weeks and have graduated 40 startups. Each Startup works towards a virtual capstone project on the design, development, and deployment of their product or services. Our goal is to support the process, introduce the startups to "in the field" practitioners, learn from guest speakers, and practice the communication skills needed to execute on the planning and funding of pilots and prototypes. The number of companies that will be accepted into the BLUE Excelerator BX4 will be based in part on our ability to match them with technical mentors.
We believe that:
* BlueTech and ClimateTech startups need experienced help in engineering the hardware and software for building a prototype.
* BlueTech and ClimateTech startups need support in soft skills for engaging business networks in the Blue Economy.
* BlueTech and ClimateTech startups need help planning and executing a safe and productive pilot.
Our goals for this specialized BLUE Excelerator are:
1. To facilitate Startups to accelerate with "excellence."
2. Widen their professional networks and help connect project details.
3. Bring together disparate BlueTech and Climate Tech startups to create a tight knit cohort for now and the future.
4. Identify potential pilot and/or prototype locations, partners, and sponsors.
The program is virtual and runs 12 weeks from March through early June. Our virtual capstone project Demo Day takes place in conjunction with the Blue Institute's annual interdisciplinary celebrations of World Oceans Day. Meet the BX Cohorts, Speakers, and Mentors below.
Please share this information and links with your networks.
Scroll down to learn more. Mentor registrations below as well.
Maroon Invest Global - BX4 Guest Speaker
BX4 Demo Day Guest Speaker
Scroll below to the BX4 Demo Day link to hear the insightful and inspiring remarks from Lisa Lambie, Managing Partner & Chief Impact Officer,
Maroon Invest Global on Blue Economy growth,
diverse entrepreneur support, emerging technologies and
the increase in Impact Investing from their UK office located at the
European Marine Science Park in Oban, Scotland.
Meet the BX4 Climate Innovators
Aquisaic - Harnessing biology to clean water for planetary and human health
AzulBio – Scalable Microbiome Solutions for Ocean Health and Sustainability
BLUEiQ – Transforming Undersea Sounds in Actionable Intelligence
HydrokinetX – Unlimited Marine Energy, Continuous Ocean Insights
Hydrospect – Clean Safe Water through a Centralized Management System.
Kelp Island – Decarbonising construction using seaweed-based materials innovation.
Remedion – Producing pollutant-free consumables for a healthier population.
Senergy – Intelligent solar panels deliver affordable hot water.
UKR-Techno – Ocean renewable energy from energy-absorbent breakwaters.
Vitaliti - Building a healthier, more sustainable world with our mold detection device, Spore™
All the startups are seeking hosts/partners/funding to do pilot demonstrations and/or prototyping.
If you could be of help please reach out to:
BX at Blue Institute dot org
We appreciate your interest and support - thank you!
Many Thanks to our Speakers & Mentors!
The Crew
Judith Underwood, Director BLUE Excelerator BX4
Peg Zokowski, Coordinator BLUE Excelerator BX4
Peg Zokowski, Coordinator BLUE Excelerator BX4
Peg Zokowski, Coordinator BLUE Excelerator BX4
Peg Zokowski, Coordinator BLUE Excelerator BX4
Peg Zokowski, Coordinator BLUE Excelerator BX4
Stellar Helpers!
Nicholas Keeney, Stellar Helper BLUE Excelerator BX4
Neil van Niekerk, Stellar Helper BLUE Excelerator BX4
Kate Putnam, Stellar Helper BLUE Excelerator BX4
Kate Putnam, Stellar Helper BLUE Excelerator BX4
Neil van Niekerk, Stellar Helper BLUE Excelerator BX4
Kate Putnam, Stellar Helper BLUE Excelerator BX4
Neil van Niekerk, Stellar Helper BLUE Excelerator BX4
Neil van Niekerk, Stellar Helper BLUE Excelerator BX4
Neil van Niekerk, Stellar Helper BLUE Excelerator BX4
Special Thanks to our Sponsors & Champions!
BLUE Excelerator (BX) is proud to be named a Connector in the DOE American Made Challenges Network
Past Cohorts - Meet the Third BLUE Excelerator BX3
2DegreesC from Bellingham, Washington, crowdsources climate data.
Beyond Motors from Slovenia, is powering the future of EVs with unmatchable continuous power and torque density in air, on land, and sea.
Dolphin Labs from Oakland, California, provides ocean IOT technology as a cost-effective, carbon-free solution for access to power and data offshore, powered by wave energy.
HoldFastNL Seaweed Farm from St. John's, NL, Canada, is using sea kelp to seek help from the climate crisis.
Moby Filters from New York, NY is a smart filter for household washers that captures and upcycles toxic microfibers from synthetic clothes before they poison humans and nature!
Mwani Africa from Kilifi, Kenya, East Africa is a social enterprise that offers Seaweed farms as-a-service to smallholder farmers, mostly women and youth, to undertake sustainable and climate resilient seaweed farming, leveraging innovation to produce bio-stimulant soil conditioner, and other value-added products, all year round.
SmartDry from Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, is engineering solutions for sustainable mining by recovering ultrafine grains from tailings and dewatering in real time.
Tech Enabled Anglers from San Rafael, California, are passionate fishermen building tech to connect fishermen, scientists, and our environment.
Weco from The Hague, Netherlands, is developing a lightweight wave energy converter to diversify the renewable energy supply.
Meet the Second BLUE Excelerator Cohort BX2
left to right, top to bottom:
Christine Ward-Paige, Ph.D., Founder & CEO eOceans - Nova Scotia, Canada
Quantum Wei, Ph.D., Co-Founder Harmony Desa - Massachusetts
Scot Cummings, Founder & CEO Creek Tides Energy & Power - South Carolina
Ivan Francis, M.B.A., Co-Founder & CEO ARGONATA - North Carolina
Carl Perrson, Founder & CEO Ocean Solutions Inc. - Delaware
Ewoud Visser, Founder & CEO Doggerland Offshore - Netherlands
Peter Hamilton, Co-Founder & CEO Biovert Protein - Thailand
Krassi Fotev, Ph.D. Candidate, Founder & CEO 13 Mari - New Jersey/Massachusetts
Arturo Gomez, Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer Biovert Protein - Thailand
Andrew Lamm, Ph.D., Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, ARGONATA - North Carolina
Ann Ruddy, Founder & CEO Alga Seaweed Ltd. - Wales
Meet the First BLUE Excelerator Cohort BX1
