NEWPORT – When I ask Blue IQ founder and CEO Kim Gavin why she wanted to expand her Boston-founded startup’s offices to Rhode Island, two words immediately come to mind. “The ocean,” Gavin responded. “Boston has access to the ocean, but it’s a state that’s very ocean-focused, so the ability to deploy (technology) not just in the Bay Area, but also in pristine waters was a big draw.” Gavin said the community of blue tech startups and support services also stands out as an opportunity for collaboration and growth in Rhode Island. But even with these resources nearby, it can take a lot of work for small startups to make connections, she added. On Thursday, Gavin said she expects her company to come away with an abundance of new connections from 401 Tech Bridge’s BlueTIDE 2024, a demonstration event designed to address this challenge and bring potential industry partners (startups, venture capitalists, corporations, agencies, etc.) under the same roof. While it's not unusual for 401 Tech Bridge to host demonstration events, BlueTIDE 2024 is a first for the organization, center director Eric Brine said. In the past, demonstration events have typically taken place at Naval Station Newport and primarily involved the defense industry. BlueTIDE 2024 will still include defense companies, but will open up the program to other commercial applications, Brine said. Also, instead of at the Naval Station, 33 companies will participate at Sail Newport and the Narragansett Bay Test Facility in Newport. “This time it's not just defense, it's aquaculture and fishing, the hospitality industry, research and development,” Brine said. “In an area like Narragansett Bay, all of these sectors overlap, and there's a great opportunity for collaboration for shared use of technology and data.” Brine also said the number of participants at the event is significantly up from previous demonstration programs, which typically had three to five companies. The company has also expanded its reach far beyond the region, with attendees from Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Norway and Canada. BlueIQ is exactly the type of company 401 Tech Bridge is looking for in its demonstration events. The startup frequently partners with the Navy to deploy software for underwater sound detection devices designed with affordability and compact design in mind. But the company also works with environmental groups, and Gavin says its technology can help prevent ships from striking whales, for example. Founded in Boston about a year and a half ago, BlueIQ is currently based at CIC Providence for its Ocean State operations, but is also looking for office space in Newport. The startup officially incorporated as a Rhode Island corporation in January, but has only been involved in the state's tech scene since last summer. Entirely self-funded so far, BlueIQ plans to raise funds next year to expand its five-person team and operations, Gavin said. But for some, a big draw of the BlueTIDE 2024 event is connecting with potential funding sources. “We're very excited about the integration efforts,” Gavin said, and BlueTIDE 2024 will also feature a live demonstration of two of BlueIQ's acoustic and artificial intelligence integrated buoys. “That's really exciting for us to actually integrate and field test (with industry partners),” he said. Gavin and other companies including Jaia Robotics, Havoc AI and Nautilus Defense will be at the event. Brine said startups participating range from five to 30 employees, and many have developed prototypes but are stuck on what to do next. While participants like Gavin are enthusiastic about the event, efforts to scale the program itself come with financial challenges. BlueTIDE 2024 was originally planned as a kickoff for “Smart Bay,” an initiative overseen by the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation and under the umbrella of the broader Ocean Tech Hub, a federally designated coalition of blue technology partners in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. But in July, the Ocean Tech Hub learned it had not received its share of $504 million in federal Tech Hub funding administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration. State and blue tech leaders say the funding neglect has left the scope and timeline of Smart Bay and other initiatives in limbo. Rhode Island has been seeking other funding sources, and with a presidential election looming, it's unclear what resources will be available in the future. Jacqueline Voghel is a PBN staff writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
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