SeaAhead and the New England Aquarium Welcome BlueSwell’s Fifth Cohort
BOSTON, MA – SeaAhead and the New England Aquarium are proud to announce the BlueSwell Program’s fifth cohort of startups. The BlueSwell Program is a startup accelerator that enables founders to convert their ocean-focused solutions into scalable and sustainable businesses. This year’s cohort features eight startups leveraging innovation to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing our oceans, from marine pollution and coastal resilience to vital ocean data collection and sustainable aquaculture.
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.
Each company will receive $25,000 in funding and access to a wealth of resources and connections, including leaders and mentors from industry, academia, government, non-profits, and more. Over the next six months, these startups will work closely with SeaAhead, the New England Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, and an extensive network of advisors to scale their ventures and maximize their environmental and economic impact.
Since its inception, the BlueSwell Program has graduated 24 startups that have raised over $38 million in grants and investments. BlueSwell’s success is made possible through the support of numerous partners and sponsors, 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. We are continuously thankful for their trust in us, as these partners make SeaAhead’s work possible.
The BlueSwell program kicks off on September 17th. Please follow along with SeaAhead and the New England Aquarium on LinkedIn and subscribe to SeaAhead’s newsletter to keep up with the cohort over the next six months.
About SeaAhead
SeaAhead is a startup and innovation platform dedicated to the blue economy. We bring together entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, and stakeholders to accelerate the commercial development of emerging technologies focused on ocean, coastal, and climate resilience. Through our growing community of partners, the BlueSwell Program, and our Blue Angels investor group, we support founders seeking to scale their early startups.
About the New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium is a nonprofit research and conservation organization that has protected and cared for our ocean and marine animals for more than 50 years. We provide science-based solutions and help shape policies that create measurable change to address threats the ocean faces. We inspire action through discovery and help create engaged, resilient communities.