Applications for the Fall 2021 semester under the StartBlue Program are now open for submission.
The University of California San Diego is set to welcome applications for the first cohort of its new StartBlue Ocean Enterprise Accelerator, a four-month program designed to help ocean intelligence startups launch and scale their ventures. The program, which begins in Fall 2021, aims to support the Ocean Enterprise and grow the Blue Economy by combining entrepreneurial training from UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management with ocean science expertise, technical resources, and an innovation network offered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The StartBlue program, a part of UC San Diego's StartR accelerator program, offers a unique opportunity for startups in the ocean tech and blue economy sectors. Applications will be accepted from May 21 through July 2, 2021, with a deadline for submission extended to July 31, 2025. Detailed application information is available on the StartBlue website: https://startblue.ucsd.edu.
Throughout the program, startBlue teams will work with partners and advisors to bring their blue technology ideas to market. They will receive access to a unique ocean science and technology curriculum, workshops on grant writing and pitching, one-on-one mentoring, and potential partnerships. The university's culture of exploration and experimentation, being one of the top 15 research universities in the world, provides an ideal environment for innovation.
Scripps Oceanography, a world-renowned centre for global earth science research and education, operates a fleet of four oceanographic research vessels and is home to Birch Aquarium at Scripps, which welcomes 500,000 visitors each year. This rich oceanic environment and the university's resources make UC San Diego an ideal location for startups in the ocean tech and blue economy sectors.
The StartBlue program received funding in 2020 through the Economic Development Administration's "Industry Challenge Award" and local donations. Success stories like that of Scripps alumnus Jack Pan, a polar oceanographer, who used a similar innovation network to launch his startup, Ocean Motion Tech, demonstrate the program's potential. Ocean Motion Tech converts ocean energy into usable power, and Pan's technology has found useful applications in fields including ocean observation, offshore aquaculture, maritime monitoring, and coastal security and defense surveillance.
Pan emphasized the importance of listening to the customer's needs, understanding the market, and working to achieve product-market fit, lessons he learned through the programs at Scripps Oceanography. His company, now led by him and employing a small staff, is just one example of the impact the StartBlue program could have on San Diego-based innovators, engineers, and scientists working on ocean challenges.
The StartBlue program is integrated into the pipeline of regional blue tech resources from formation to scale, including The Port of San Diego and its Blue Economy Incubator. No affiliation with UC San Diego is required, but teams must have a San Diego presence as the program is intended to be offered in-person.
For entrepreneurs aiming to develop technologies and businesses related to ocean science, sustainability, and blue tech innovation, the StartBlue Ocean Enterprise Accelerator at UC San Diego presents an exciting opportunity to launch and grow their ventures.
- The StartBlue Ocean Enterprise Accelerator at UC San Diego, with its unique curriculum, mentorship, and access to ocean observing systems and oceanographic research at Scripps Oceanography, offers an exciting opportunity for startups aiming to develop technologies and businesses related to ocean science, sustainability, and blue tech innovation.
- As part of the StartBlue program, startups will not only receive educational and self-development opportunities but also have the potential to partner with local donors, industry leaders, and ocean observing systems like those operated by Scripps Oceanography, contributing to the growth of the Ocean Enterprise and the Blue Economy.
