Did you know that there are specialized accelerators for startups all over the US? In fact, this is a global trend. However, one of the most exciting accelerators to emerge in recent years has been on home soil. Washington’s Maritime Blue scheme is helping seafaring innovations find their funding.
What is Washington Maritime Blue?
Washington Maritime Blue is an alliance that focuses on helping to develop eco-friendly maritime innovations. Specifically, their primary insight homes in on sustainability as well as technology and economic growth.
The WMB points out that they intend to help foster growth for companies working in a quietly expanding industry. Statistics show that, by 2030, the maritime sector could be worth as much as $3 trillion worldwide. That is double where we sit right now in 2021.
Therefore, the alliance insists that now is the time for startups to make the right pivots.
The WMB and Port of Seattle offer four months of intensive development for innovators in the local industry. Specifically, they aim to help fund and develop 11 businesses that will lead the industry by 2030.
Who’s in The 2021 Startups Cohort?
While the maritime industry is centuries old, it is always moving forward with innovation. Therefore, the WMB and Port of Seattle brought together 11 further ventures keen to change the ocean by 2030.
Specifically, they brought together a variety of sea-focused companies offering sustainable growth in many different ways. For example, OpenTug, part of the 2021 cohort, offers maritime companies clearer insight into customer booking and support. It is an end-to-end customer management solution.
Future Sight AR is another WMB hire, but with a different focus in the same industry. Their interest lies in helping to make construction more straightforward and more innovative for maritime professionals. Specifically, as their name suggests, the company invests in AR or Augmented Reality technology. This, hypothetically, means that construction experts can create, test, and build more efficiently.
Canscan Tech, too, is a further venture investing in modern technology for the long-standing industry. This innovative brand offers AI and data analytics to help streamline container inspections. Effectively, it enables terminal checks to take place smoothly and without the need for extensive investigations.
What we can take away from the 2021 cohort is that both WMB and the Port of Seattle care deeply about technology. Their focus through this accelerator is to boost sustainability and efficiency as far as physically possible. They recognize that the best way to do this is through advancing technology – and that is where venture founders help.
Innovating for the Ocean
All these factors entice us to ask the question – where will maritime ventures lead us in the future?
The ocean is of grave concern to millions of people worldwide. Investors are already searching for innovative startups through startup databases such as Fundz to find sustainable projects. Could this be the decade where maritime sees a significant resurgence? We may also start to turn the tide on the damage we do to our oceans.
Sources
https://www.portseattle.org/page/maritime-blue-accelerator-2021
