Washington Maritime Blue announced its fourth cohort, affectionately called the Fourth Wave, of the Maritime Blue Innovation Accelerator. The four-month, mentor-based accelerator program brings together founders from Washington, the region, and beyond to learn new skills, connect with resources, and scale their work to develop ocean-based climate solutions and become the next big job creators for the state.
“We’re thrilled to announce this next cohort to join a tremendous group of alumni that are all working to address the biggest challenges our ocean and maritime industry face. These companies are all ready for venture capital and are poised for significant economic, environmental, and community impact,” says Joshua Berger, CEO of Maritime Blue. “We’ve made sure the Accelerator can support these venture scale startups by offering them the best in programming and mentorship, access to our cluster members made up of industry leaders, research institutions, public agencies, and community organizations, and a pipeline for capital investment.”
These startups will participate in global networking events, mentorship opportunities, and programming to evolve business development initiatives, messaging and communications, legal considerations, investments, financing, and other opportunities for growth. Startups receive access to Washington Maritime Blue industry and ocean leaders alongside a global network of startup mentors and advisors.
The companies joining include:
Atargis Energy (Pueblo, CO) - Utility-scale wave energy. Predictable, $0.06 per kWh baseload electricity from ocean waves.
Berkeley Marine Robotics (Oakland, CA) - Berkeley Marine Robotics is developing an autonomous underwater swarm laser system for fast real-time data and ML predictions toward decreasing ship emissions and increasing port security.
CargoCheck. (Bellevue, WA) - CargoCheck helps manufacturing and logistics pros safely, and efficiently deliver bulk and packaged cargo.
Dockshare (Baltimore, MD) - Dockshare is the Airbnb for boat docking that connects private docks owners and marinas with boaters who want to rent their docks.
Gybe (Bellevue, WA) - Gybe is a work-day platform for frontline and desk-less workers. A generational change in digital mobility infrastructure, Gybe easily deploys cloud-based tools to highly scalable frontline endpoints.
Hyper Kelp (Encinitas, CA) - HyperKelp delivers ocean data as a service by deploying sensor-agnostic, hosted payload platforms for maritime awareness.
qualiTEAS (St. John's, CANADA) - Next-generation corrosion inspection solutions, to empower clients to strengthen their asset management practices and enhance productivity.
"The success of our state's Blue Economy depends on innovation and entrepreneurship, and we are thrilled to support the latest cohort of startups joining the accelerator,” says Chris Green, Assistant Director of the Washington State Department of Commerce. “As a state, we recognize the immense value of ocean-based climate solutions, and are committed to supporting sustainable, innovative, and inclusive approaches to the Blue Economy.”
“The Port of Seattle is a proud sponsor of Maritime Blue, since its inception several years ago, offering a wide array of blue economy innovators a platform to make our oceans cleaner and more sustainable while creating opportunities for entrepreneurs of all backgrounds,” said Sam Cho, Port of Seattle Commission President. “The Port of Seattle wishes this latest cohort of participants great success in making the world, and our oceans, a better place.”
