The Power of Collaboration

By: Millicent Pitts, Executive Director of Ocean Exchange

This year marks a transformative chapter for Ocean Exchange – and for the broader marine innovation community.

With our integration into the MTS family of programs, Ocean Exchange has found not just a new organizational home, but a powerful platform to expand our reach, deepen our partnerships, and accelerate the transition of groundbreaking ocean technologies into the real world. As a program within MTS, we remain true to our mission of supporting early-stage innovation – now with the added strength of a global community of technologists, scientists, policymakers, and industry leaders.

That strength is already at work through The Continuum, a NOAA-funded Ocean Enterprise Accelerator launched just six months ago. This initiative brings together three accelerators, a major research university, and three other entrepreneurial support organizations. Together, we’re creating a seamless innovation pipeline for ocean startups and small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) – connecting them with mentors, test beds, investors, and customers to speed the path to commercialization. 

Through The Continuum, we’ve established business and science advisory committees to keep startups closely tied to real-world needs. We’ve built early-stage relationships with institutions that can offer the critical data, facilities, and expertise needed to prove new technologies in the field. And soon, we’ll be awarding 40% of our grant funds directly to startups and SMEs – supporting the concrete steps they need to become viable, scalable businesses.

The impact we’re pursuing is not theoretical. We’re backing technologies that can help predict harmful algal blooms, design climate-resilient coastal infrastructure, quantify ocean carbon storage, and optimize autonomous systems – tools that empower both the ocean economy and the people who depend on it.

The integration of Ocean Exchange into MTS has made this kind of forward momentum possible at a new scale. We’re combining our unique approach to identifying and supporting ocean innovators with MTS’s unmatched reach, credibility, and programming (including the Ocean Enterprise Initiative). Together, we are building a stronger, more connected innovation ecosystem capable of lifting up technologies and the communities they ultimately serve.