SECOND WAVE

Maritime Blue Innovation Accelerator

These 10 startups were selected for the Second Wave cohort of the Maritime Blue Innovation Accelerator and received intensive programming over a 4-month period. Startups received access to Washington Maritime Blue industry and ocean leaders alongside our Cluster’s global network of mentors and advisors. This is a powerful opportunity for local companies to grow and secure funding in a sector where capital is often scarce.

Watch the cohort as they showcased their extraordinary work and pitch their ideas to a curated audience of investors, mentors, corporate partners, and government officials.

From digital solutions to large infrastructure – innovation in the Blue Economy will need a diverse and varied financing approach; from public funding to equity stakes. We are seeing investments from Angel groups, Venture Capital, Impact and Corporate investors. There is a need and opportunity for philanthropy, debt financing, and coordination of public dollars to fill gaps and buy-down risk. The blue economy will need to blend financing options, build hybrid stacks of capital, and coordinate across public and private agencies.

#BuildBackBlue

These new ventures are passionate about finding innovative solutions to benefit the maritime and ocean economies, healthy marine and ocean ecosystems, and equitable & resilient communities.

Allosense provides “always connected” asset trackers using cellular, satellite, and mesh technologies to reduce logistic inefficiencies.

Canscan has developed a system, based on artificial intelligence, machine vision and data analytics that uses existing cameras and infrastructure to automatically inspect containers transiting into or through a terminal. 

Fishtail incentivizes good supply chain behavior by providing low-cost supply chain financing for businesses who make sustainable inventory and transportation decisions. 

Future Sight AR is using augmented reality to disrupt the way engineering and construction companies build the infrastructure we rely on everyday.

Goldfish Inc. is building a first-of-its-kind service to instantly verify that seafood was legally sourced and meets current regulatory traceability requirements.

MM-SEAS helps professional mariners and active duty service members navigate the complex credentialing process.

OpenTug provides marine logistics companies with branded sales suites that handle marketing, booking, tracking, and management to allow them to better connect with customers digitally.

Pacific Mobility Group focuses on the interface between various transportation modes and modal users, and seeks to implement mobility solutions that improve people’s lives.

Puget Buoy is developing and testing a new generation of alternative fishing gear that will reduce waste and prevent disruption to migrating whale populations that will benefit the seafood industry.

Silverback Marine is focused on designing and building boats that are primarily intended for research, recovery, and cleanup operations, as well as commercial fishing support vessels.

These selected startups have benefited from intensive programming provided by WeWork Labs over an accelerated 4-month period. In addition to being housed at WeWork Labs, startups received access to the WeWork Labs global network of mentors and advisors, be a part of unique programming, and have the opportunity to connect with the larger WeWork community. In addition, the cohort will have additional mentorship opportunities, drawing on Maritime Blue’s coalition of industry experts, as well as “pilots with enterprises” demonstration and sales opportunities, and vast connections to the global maritime industry.

Innovation across Washington’s maritime sector is critical for a thriving economy and in the fight to protect our planet and ocean life. These challenges loom large and demand more intentional efforts to ensure solutions are sought by a broader cross-section of companies and individuals, utilizing innovative approaches, such as a maritime accelerator. 

Access to Capital

 

Washington Maritime Blue is working to direct capital towards maritime innovation and entrepreneurs.

We act as a resource and pipeline to projects, start-ups, and investments that lead towards our vision for a sustainable, innovative and growing blue economy in Washington State.

 

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