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Hello Everyone,
Join Innovate Newport and the Blue Venture Forum on May 7th, from 4:30PM-7:00PM, at Innovate Newport for a special BlueTech Industry "Spotlight", featuring a pitch competition. If you're interested in attending, or delivering a pitch, please see below for more information.
The Blue Venture Forum was a proud sponsor of the Allied Maritime Tech Conference (AMTC), held at Newlab, Brooklyn, NY, from April 2-3, See below for an event wrap-up.
And, congratulations to DOLGO! Not only did DOLGO launch, via a Flashtalk, at the Blue Innovation Symposium '26, but they just recently announced that they will be opening a facility in Rhode Island. See below for an article about the company's launch and we'll provide details on their RI location in an upcoming newsletter.
We're working with the Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium (UTIC), the Herreshoff Marine Museum, and other partners on this year's Defense Investment Forum. In next week's newsletter we'll have more information, including a "save-the-date".
In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you on May 7th!
In the meantime, if you have information to share with the bluetech community, please send it to: info@blueventureforum.org.
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May 7: BlueTech Industry Spotlight & Pitch Competition
4:30PM-7:00PM, Innovate Newport, 513 Broadway, Newport, RI
Organizers:
Innovate Newport & Blue Venture Forum
To attend and for more information, register here.
This event will include a pitch competition for select blue technology companies. So, if you are interested in delivering a pitch, please send your name, title, company name, website and, up to a 2 paragraph description, of your product or service to: info@blueventureforum.org. Thanks to our sponsors, there is no cost to participate.
Applicants must be:
· Developing a defense or dual-use technology with clear application(s) in the marine & oceanographic industry.
· Beyond the prototype stage.
· Focused on actively raising an investment round.
Participating investors include representatives from Angel and Venture Capital organizations. Cash prizes will be awarded.
Please note that we will select 6 companies to pitch. Applicants, even those that are not selected, may also be given the opportunity to exhibit during the event.
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May 7, 4:30PM-7:00PM
Innovate Newport, 513 Broadway, Newport, RI
Meet the Judges
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Bob Chatham, Director RightHill Ventures and Slater Technology Fund. As a Director at both RightHill Ventures and Slater Technology Fund, Bob applies his 30+ years of experience in building and growing technology companies across various domains and industries. He supports early-stage entrepreneurs with strategic advice, mentorship, and funding, and helps them scale their businesses and achieve their vision.
His passion for technology and innovation stems from a diverse background in computer science, energy, sales, marketing, and analytics. He has been a founder or early employee of nine technology companies, four of which have gone public or been acquired. He’s also served as an industry analyst at Forrester Research, where he advised Fortune 500 companies on sales and marketing software and customer experience.
Having grown up outside the US, he has a great appreciation for travel, world culture and food. He is a sailor, biker, maker, parent to three adult children, and startup grandparent.
| |  | Tom Sperry is founder and managing partner of Rogue Venture Partners - an early stage VC fund, the Rogue Women’s fund focuses on women ceo’s and founders and rogue island ventures an early stage Rhode Island specific VC fund. | | | |
Steve Eddleston, Angel Investor. After a successful career as an entrepreneur and franchisee for Planet Fitness, along with a prior career in Computer Engineering, Steve now owns and captain's the beautiful sailing yacht Weatherly (US17), successful Americas Cup defender of 1962.
In his computer engineering career, Steve split his years between Digital Equipment Corporation and a number of Mass startups that succeeded in M&A with Aspect Communications, BEA Systems and Oracle.
At Planet Fitness, Steve developed, staffed and operated 17 gyms in Rhode Island and Southern Mass between 2008 and 2020.
Most recently Steve has served as Commodore of the 12 Metre Yacht Club - Newport Station and Vice President for the Americas Fleet of the International Twelve Meter Association as he continues to enjoy sailing his beautiful yacht against other Americas Cup winners and contenders.
Steve has been an active Angel Investor affiliated with Launchpad Venture Group, Alumni Ventures Group and Chain Reaction all out of Boston, MA. Examples of recent investments that are highly disruptive and beneficial to our planet and humanity include Flux Marine (RI), Jaia Robotics (RI) and Axiom Space(FL).
Specialties: BlueTech and Disruptive Angel Investing, Wellness, Fitness, Sailing, Jogging, Entrepeneur
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Dr. David Altounian is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Salve Regina University with more than 35 years of leadership experience spanning technology, academia, and entrepreneurship. He previously served as Vice Provost of Graduate and Professional Studies and Interim Dean, and earlier was a founder and CEO of Motion Computing and iTaggit, with executive roles at Dell, Motorola, Compaq, and Ashton‑Tate.
He is the co‑author of Winning With Strategic Marketing: Driving Success for Startups and Small Businesses, a board member at RIHub, and a partner and mentor at Capital Factory in Austin, Texas.
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Blue Venture Forum co-sponsored the Allied Maritime Tech Conference (AMTC)
(pictured, from LTR, are: Clare Brandfonbrener, Associate, Alumni Ventures, Ryan Musto, Senior Associate, Alumni Ventures, and Nate Walton, Founder & Principal, Sachem Strategies and Chair, Blue Venture Forum's Board of Directors)
The Blue Venture Forum was a proud co-sponsor of the Allied Maritime Tech Conference (AMTC), which took place last week, during Deep Tech Week in New York, at Newlab in Brooklyn, NYC.
AMTC convened more than 300 leaders from across the maritime innovation ecosystem with a goal to accelerate the adoption of new technologies in shipping, ports, and maritime infrastructure. The event featured speakers and panelists ranging from members of Congress and former and current high-ranking US Navy officers and Pentagon officials to executives at CMA CGM and Prologis, as well as trailblazing startups from our ecosystem, like HavocAI and Vatn.
The maritime domain is the frontline to global trade, economic security, and national defense. It underpins homeland protection, the great power competition, and the resilience of the Tri-State industrial base. Startups are essential to advancing autonomy, contested logistics, and survivable maritime systems, yet they face persistent barriers to accessing defense buyers, commercial operators, and strategic partners. The goal of ATMC 2026 was to address these barriers.
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DOLGO, a maritime tech startup, has launched its new AI platform to help combat the maritime skills crisis at the recent Blue Innovation Symposium in Rhode Island
(pictured: Nithesh Wazenn (Waz) launching DOLGO at the Blue Innovation Symposium '26)
Tampa-based DOLGO founder Nithesh Wazenn explained that the platform, which can be uploaded to a phone or computer like ChatGPT, will tackle one of the biggest challenges facing maritime: the vanishing, aging workforce. As a measure of the scale of the problem in the United States today, the average age of shipyard workers is 55 years old. This is against a backdrop of shipbuilding demand being set to double over the next decade.
“I am super proud to launch DOLGO,” Mr. Wazenn said. “It’s easy to use, intuitive, and designed by gamers. This is the moment AI enables maritime to claw back time. Skills shortages are paralyzing the sector. It’s a ticking time bomb. DOLGO can provide a solution by retaining the expertise before it leaves forever. One platform driven by machine learning, constantly being updated with the knowledge of hundreds, then thousands of workers across a vast array of tasks.”
Read the full article in the Journal of Military Electronics & Computing
| | Thank You Again To Our BIS '26 Sponsors!! | | Blue Venture Forum Founding Sponsor | | | | |
