By Riley Kaminer
In Miami, we’re not just going green – we’re also going blue.
A new wave of bluetech entrepreneurs continues to hit our shores, in large part thanks to Miami-based Daniel Kleinman, founder of entrepreneur support organization and community Seaworthy Collective.
“We want to give everyone the chance to innovate for our oceans,” Kleinman told Refresh Miami.
Kleinman reflected on the whirlwind of accomplishments over the past year. Seaworthy Collective has secured four federal grants, including one from the Department of Energy and another from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) ocean-based climate resilience accelerator program.
These grants have helped the organization scale its impact and expand its offerings, including its signature startup programs. “The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition has been instrumental in supporting our growth,” Kleinman shared.
One standout success story from Seaworthy’s accelerator program is Raquel De Antonio from Sargassum Eco Lumber. “Raquel came to us having never publicly pitched before,” Kleinman said. But after going through Seaworthy’s accelerator, she won the Startup World Cup Miami, making an impressive leap forward in her entrepreneurial journey. For Kleinman, this kind of rapid progress is a testament to what Seaworthy can do for early-stage bluetech startups.
But it’s not just founders who are benefiting from Seaworthy’s expertise. Kleinman also emphasized the success of a fellowship run in partnership with Miami Dade College. “We took students who had no idea what coastal resilience was and gave them a crash course in bluetech,” he explained. By the end of the two-month program, one student had become a co-founder of a startup now participating in Seaworthy’s latest cohort.
Now, Seaworthy announced that its new initiative called Shoreline will be launching later this year. Kleinman described Shoreline as a solution to the increasing demand for resources from bluetech founders.
“We get 75 to 100 applications per cohort but can only work with seven,” he noted. This bottleneck highlighted the need for a more scalable, accessible way to support founders. Shoreline, a subscription-based platform costing $500/month, will offer founders access to Seaworthy’s resources, network, and expertise without the constraints of a formal accelerator program. Seaworthy is currently accepting applications here for companies to join its Shoreline beta at a reduced rate.
“Founders don’t need more curriculum,” Kleinman said. “They need access to networks, expertise, and one-on-one support. Shoreline was built around exactly what founders told us they need most.”
Shoreline was developed in partnership with innovation platform Catalist and incorporates tools like ecosystem mapping, AI, and regenerative frameworks. “We designed it to provide entrepreneurs with tailored insights and network connections,” Kleinman said.
The platform offers human support blended with technology, making it more accessible than formal incubators or accelerators, but still providing founders with essential resources like business guidance and visibility.
As Seaworthy continues to grow, Kleinman is laser-focused on the future of bluetech in Miami. He noted that when Seaworthy first started, only 10% of its cohort startups were based in Florida. “Now, the majority of our startups are Florida-based,” he said proudly. This shift, he believes, is a sign that the local bluetech ecosystem is beginning to take root.
Looking ahead, Kleinman has high hopes for the future of Seaworthy and the broader bluetech space. With several large grants in the pipeline and a potential $15 million NOAA grant on the horizon, Kleinman sees the opportunity to transform Seaworthy into a more sustainable, impactful organization – positioning itself for long-term success
Despite the challenges that come with building a new sector from the ground up, Kleinman remains optimistic: “Bluetech is still in its early stages, but we’re starting to see real momentum.”
Check out Seaworthy’s startup showcase on October 26th to learn more about Miami’s bluetech ecosystem.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
- Startup World Cup Miami 2024: The winning startup that will compete for $1M is…
- Seaweed SOS: Turning beach blight into eco lumber gold
- Inside Miami’s smart city revolution: AI, startups, and future-ready communities on full display at Smart City Expo Miami
- South Florida’s tech hub is officially ClimateReady, with $19.5M federal grant in tow
- Plug it in, plug it in! PortMiami launches Shore Power, largest on the U.S. East Coast
