Propeller and WHOI have deepened their collaborations through the direct funding of projects that have high commercializable value to the wider world. In addition, the Ocean MBA program helps project scientists consider the needs of markets and customers, and imagine themselves as risk-takers in the entrepreneurial realm.
Peter de Menocal, President & Director, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution kicks off the Ocean MBA
Propeller guest mentors work in breakout sessions with WHOI researchers
Propeller fielded the unique program, an “Ocean MBA”, for WHOI scientists and engineers on site January 17-18. The event kicked off with a case study by Propeller founding partner Brian Halligan to introduce a common lexicon and share the journey of HubSpot. It served as an icebreaker to provide new perspectives to ocean researchers and bridge the worlds of startups and research. Viewing their technologies as vital pieces in a value chain that enables novel activities in the new blue economy resonated with the group.
Guest Lecturer Susan Schofer presents on turning hard tech into product
Presentations by Dr. Beth Tellman (Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Cloud2Street) Dr. Cheryl Martin (Harwich Partners, former head of ARPA-E) and Dr. Susan Schofer (Partner & Chief Science Officer at SOSV's HAX) illuminated various dimensions of the science to startup route. “Beth Tellman’s path was fascinating. It gave us exposure to things we’ve never considered before, and encouraged us to think about what we do in a different way,” said Dr. Anna Michel, WHOI scientist and co-inventor of a gas measurement platform for methane and CO2.
Propeller EIRS (Entrepreneurs in Residence) work with WHOI researchers to create pitch decks
The highly interactive two days included dedicated time to encounters with entrepreneurs and VCs from the wider tech community of Boston and beyond, such as Rich Miner (co-founder w.r.t. Android). There were many fruitful conversations and discoveries that ensued.
There was also a Q&A with ocean technologist and entrepreneur Peter Rive (Chair of Sofar and Vesta). The event culminated in inspiring pitches that the WHOI project leads put together based on their learnings and work across the two days. “We really hit our stride preparing the pitches. We experienced that intensity to push us far and fast. It was exhilarating,” exclaimed Dr. Tim Shank, deep sea biologist and co-inventor of Orpheus exploration vehicle. Next up is a focused session on developing tech for Ocean CDR at WHOI March 31.
WHOI PI Dr. Yogesh Girdhar pitches his innovation to the teams at the close of the Ocean MBA
If you’re interested in attending a future Ocean MBA (either the Winter Sessions at WHOI or the Summer Sessions for in-market entrepreneurs), stay subscribed to this newsletter and/or look for social posts with applications to the cohort. We’ll be accepting teams on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early.