Startups for Sea Change: Innovations for Plastic Pollution & Water Quality

Meet 3 startups from Seaworthy's second cohort working to make impact on water quality and plastic pollution removal by combining education, data collection, and novel technologies.

About the featured startups:

Clean Earth Rovers

Based in: Cincinnati, OH

About: Every year our waterways are plagued by chemical and physical debris, leaving coastal business and cities to feel the effects of major pollution events. As a result, we’ve created a “Roomba” for coastal waterways that skims for the pollutants you can see and feeds you data in live time on the pollutants you can’t see.

Seed World

Based in: Kaneohe, HI

About: SEED is dedicated to educating others on micro-plastic pollution and the impact it is having on our world. We saw a rapidly increasing problem from our global mismanagement of plastic waste that had dangerous implications. Through technological development, educational programs, community outreach, and scientific application, we have set out to tackle one of the greatest threats posed to our ocean and marine ecosystems. We aim to plant greater SEEDs of change by providing the public and educators with fun and interactive lesson plans that build upon teamwork through S.T.E.M education. Believing that education is a pathway towards innovation, we offer our learning program to those inspired in taking their first steps in collectively solving our global pollution crisis.

Smartfin

Based in: Seattle, WA

About: Smartfin is developing an innovative ocean sensor for surfboards and paddleboards that uses IoT technology to connect citizen scientists with ocean scientists and decision makers to gather difficult-to-capture data in critical coastal environments for vital scientific understanding and protection against climate change.