RI Startup Week event: Blue Tech Investment - Roundtable Discussion

Join us for a panel discussion on the state of investment in blue technology.   

Southern New England has long been the epicenter for marine technology startups.  Many of these startups have spun out of the research being developed at key institutions like the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), the University of Rhode Island (URI), and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).  Until recently, the only path to funding for most of these startups was bootstrapping or government funding, particularly through the SBIR program.  

However, today, institutional investors, including Venture Capital and Angels, along with corporates are now making strategic investments which are fueling the development of innovations to address the major challenges in ocean exploration, aquaculture, traditional fisheries, defense, undersea communications, climate monitoring, and more.  

During this discussion, we will hear directly from investors about why they’re investing in blue technology firms, discuss the companies and technologies they’re investing in, learn what it takes to secure an investment from one of these investors, and hear what they see as emerging opportunities in the sector.  

This event is being held in partnership with the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce as part of RI Startup Week. 

Panelists:

• Thorne Sparkman, Managing Director, Slater Technology Fund, Inc., https://slaterfund.com/ 

• Neil Hamel, Head of US Ventures and Open Innovation, Orsted, https://openinnovation.orsted.com/ 

• David Ford, Investor, Blue Angels, https://www.sea-ahead.com/blue-angels 

• Adam de Sola Pool, Investor, https://www.linkedin.com/in/adampool

• Jeffrey Smith, Vice President and General Manager, Unmanned Undersea Systems, SAAB, Inc., https://www.saab.com/products/security/underwater-systems 

Panel Moderator

Toby Stapleton, Director, Blue Venture Forum, https://www.blueventureforum.org/