The Bellingham Angel Investors’ firm Pitch Competition was won by Astraeus Ocean Systems, an ocean data firm that intends to deploy a fleet of self-governing boats to collect and evaluate environmental data. The contest’s organizers expected it to be the first yearly pitch event showcasing entrepreneurs in Northwest Washington state, with a total prize fund of $10,000. Increasing the prominence and efficacy of a startup ecosystem in the area sandwiched between the more well-known activity in Seattle to the south and Vancouver, British Columbia, to the north is another goal.
On Saturday, Nov. 2 at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, a dozen entrepreneurs presented their company ideas to a panel of judges and an audience of roughly fifty people. Applicants who have founders in Skagit or Whatcom counties were narrowed down to 12 finalists. “We had almost 50 teams apply, so the support and enthusiasm have surpassed our expectations,” said Gene Kishinevsky, a competition judge and board member of BAI. Astraeus, an early-stage startup based in Bellingham, tied for the “audience favorite” award and won first place. The company was established in 2022.
Current ocean observing systems, according to CEO Alex Parker, are unable to meet the demands for high-quality data and changes. In order to collect and exchange sensor data, he envisioned a globally dispersed fleet of autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) that are fueled by solar energy and are available around-the-clock. He said that all of this was less expensive than the ways that ocean data is currently collected.
Parker compared ocean intelligence to Uber. According to Parker, Astraeus has already constructed three ASVs in-house and plans to begin testing them in Puget Sound this year in preparation for its first paid pilots in early 2025. What about the $1,000 audience favorite prize and $6,000 first prize—the latter, he claimed, would be divided with another contestant who tied Astraeus in the last round of voting?
In order to explore Puget Sound for abandoned fishing gear, he stated, “we have been wanting to equip one of our vessels with an instrument.” The gadget we wish to purchase costs somewhat less than $7,000. Thus, we can put it on and get into the water a little bit quicker, which will allow us to begin our pilot project a little bit sooner.
