The ocean economy is vast and full of unsolved problems. A new wave of BlueTech founders showed up with answers.
Seaworthy Collective hosted its 7th Startup Showcase at The LAB Miami this week, bringing together a packed room of local ecosystem members to meet the latest cohort from The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Studio and Incubator, its flagship accelerator program.
The event featured startup pitches, interactive activities, and networking, with a shared focus on solutions for ocean impact. The cohort was developed in partnership with NOAA through The Continuum, with an emphasis on ocean data technologies and services.
Seaworthy Collective is a Miami-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting current and aspiring entrepreneurs in BlueTech, a broad term for innovation at the intersection of technology and the ocean economy. Its programs are designed to grow the ecosystem and help establish Florida as a hub for ocean-focused entrepreneurship.
The organization’s track record reflects real traction. Since launching, Seaworthy Collective has supported 111 entrepreneurs, educated more than 5,600 people on BlueTech, and helped its community of startups raise over $34 million in grants and investments. The Florida-based startups in its network have grown 11x.
Daniel Kleinman, Founder and CEO of Seaworthy Collective, says the shift has been significant. “When we launched our first cohort back in 2021, ocean innovation and the blue economy were a largely unrecognized niche in South Florida, despite our communities’ proximity to the coast. Over 5 years hosting 7 cohorts of our flagship Studio and Incubator and supporting 111 entrepreneurs, the ecosystem has undoubtedly reached a critical mass. It’s becoming mainstream.”
He credits the progress to the collective nature of the work. “As our name implies, Seaworthy Collective’s success is both the culmination of our startups’ growth and impact, along with the relentless dedication and conviction of our team and community. It takes a village.”
The startups selected for Cohort 7 reflect that momentum:
- BathyLab (Brookfield, NH) Founded by Shannon Hoy and Patrick Cooper, BathyLab builds AI-powered tools that help seafloor mapping teams collect better data and scale their operations, providing real-time operational intelligence for both crewed and autonomous vessels.
- BeachLens (Gainesville, FL) Founded by Ja’Rell Felix, BeachLens aggregates real-time coastal, safety, and tourism data into a mobile app designed to go well beyond a basic weather app, offering users highly specific, actionable information.
- Envara Scientific (Sterling, VA) Aspiring founder Marianne Dietz is building Envara to help organizations better navigate and act on high-stakes environmental data using intelligence-informed thinking.
- H3 (Miami, FL) Aspiring founder Rachel Bobich is developing a collective intelligence and resourcing platform designed to support the scientific community that drives the blue economy forward.
- iCatch (Bozeman, MT) Founded by Dr. Mariah Meek and Dr. Nadya Mamoozadeh, iCatch combines predictive AI and precision genomic testing to verify species identification anywhere along the seafood supply chain.
- Marnova (San Diego, CA) Founded by Andrew Barrows and Dr. Forest Rohwer, Marnova addresses the Caribbean’s sargassum crisis by reimagining this invasive biomass as a high-potential biological asset rather than a waste product.
- Project Neptune (Hermosa Beach, CA) Founded by Maxwell Lynch and Ethan Young, Project Neptune delivers localized beach water quality data, forecasts, and dashboards to help people make informed decisions about when it’s safe to enter the water.
The companies span seafloor mapping, seafood traceability, coastal safety, marine waste, and environmental data, a range that reflects how broadly the BlueTech sector is defining itself.
Kleinman describes the organization as being at an inflection point. Now in the second year of its $14 million NOAA partnership, Seaworthy Collective is working alongside partners including Braid Theory and Ocean Exchange to build out a progression of programs for founders navigating the ocean economy. This summer, the organization is also partnering with the Florida Office of Ocean Economy to support collegiate startups in developing their pitches.
Seaworthy Collective is exploring the development of an investment fund and seeking new board members to help shape its next five years. Growth beyond South Florida is also underway, with JPMorgan Chase coming on to support expanding programming to Tampa Bay.
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