Lab2Market Oceans / Validate kicks off 2026 with 18 Teams Tackling Real-world Ocean Challenges
From quieter ships and cleaner exhaust to self-powered ocean sensors and smarter electrified ports — this year’s Lab2Market Oceans / Validate cohort is built for real-world impact. The Ocean Startup Project (OSP) today announced the 18 research-driven teams selected for the 2026 cohort, an eight-week, full-time customer discovery experience designed to move ocean innovation from promising research to practical adoption.
Delivered by the Ocean Startup Project and hosted by Memorial University’s Research Innovation Office, Lab2Market Oceans / Validate pairs coaching, workshops, and mentorship with an intensive customer discovery journey. Teams step out of the lab and into real conversations with potential users, buyers, partners, and decision-makers — pressure-testing assumptions, sharpening value propositions, and clarifying what it will take to earn adoption.
“We’ve run this program enough times to know that customer discovery isn’t a box to check — it’s where teams either find the signal or save themselves months of building in the wrong direction,” said Paula Mendonça, Executive Director at the Ocean Startup Project. “The goal isn’t just great science — it’s solutions that actually get used. Validate helps teams bridge that gap by learning what buyers, users, and partners truly need, and what it takes to earn trust and adoption in the ocean space.”
This year’s recruitment process attracted 39 applications from eight post-secondary institutions. This resulted in the acceptance of 18 teams representing five universities across four provinces – Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. This year’s cohort includes teams from Dalhousie University, McGill University, McMaster University, Memorial University, and the University of New Brunswick.
The Lab2Market Oceans / Validate 2026 cohort and their respective universities (listed by areas of focus) include:
Ocean monitoring, sensing and data intelligence
EcoSense (Memorial University) — Developing self-powered marine monitoring devices using triboelectric nanogenerators and power management to harvest low-frequency energy from waves, wind, and currents.
BlueWave RF (Memorial University) — Developing an AI-optimized RF energy harvesting and SWIPT platform to enable autonomous, battery-free marine IoT monitoring and communications.
Deep Manthan (Dalhousie University) — Building a scalable AI platform that enhances selection, quality, and analysis of oceanographic datasets for climate research, marine monitoring, and offshore operations.
COASTAIR (Memorial University) — Building an AI-powered drone platform using RGB + hyperspectral imaging and computer vision to detect, classify, and quantify coastal pollution through rapid aerial surveys and automated analysis.
FishNet Map (Memorial University) — Developing a real-time, interactive fishnet mapping pipeline/application for aquaculture planning, monitoring, and decision-making.
Cleaner shipping, ports and marine energy systems
OpTecMaritime - Operational & Optimization Technologies for Maritime Systems (Memorial University) — Developing a waste-heat-driven re-liquefaction and cold-energy recovery system to reduce boil-off gas losses and improve energy efficiency in LNG shipping.
PORT-EM (Memorial University) — Developing a smart port energy platform that forecasts and optimizes electrified port demand alongside ocean renewable supply using machine learning and embedded control.
HydroDynamiX (Memorial University) — Developing a high-efficiency DC-DC converter to enable scalable, reliable power delivery for marine renewable energy systems.
Advanced manufacturing and resilient marine supply chains
MARINA – Marine Additive Research for Innovation in Next-gen Applications (Memorial University) — Developing additively manufactured, durable, lightweight, anti-fouling ship components to improve efficiency, reduce fuel use, and minimize environmental impact.
Maritech Additive Solutions Inc. (University of New Brunswick) — Developing next-generation marine impellers using advanced materials and additive manufacturing to boost efficiency, reduce maintenance, and extend operational life.
AddManuChain (Dalhousie University) — Developing a digital inventory + on-site additive manufacturing solution that enables offshore operators to produce critical spare parts on demand and reduce downtime and logistics delays.
Emissions, noise and air quality
Quiecean (McGill University) — Developing a plasma-based device for marine transportation systems to reduce noise and filter chemical pollutants in exhaust gases.
Security and resilient ocean infrastructure
BlueSec AI (Memorial University) — Developing an AI-driven cybersecurity platform to protect ocean-based critical infrastructure (including subsea cables, offshore energy systems, and smart ports) through real-time anomaly detection, digital twin simulations, and autonomous cyber response.
Carbon removal and climate solutions
Rift Technology (McMaster University) — Developing a scalable membrane-based system that removes atmospheric CO₂ by enhancing ocean alkalinity while producing clean hydrogen.
AquaCarbon (Memorial University) — Developing ocean-based carbon removal using Direct Ocean Electrocapture (DOE), combining metal-organic frameworks and electrochemical processes to capture CO₂ from seawater.
Aquaculture, biosecurity and safer ocean operations
O3Blue (Memorial University) — Developing a portable, tunable pulsed-power ozone generator for safer, on-site disinfection in aquaculture and marine applications.
Circular ocean economy and sustainability
NanoOcean (Memorial University) — Developing nanoparticles from seafood waste to support more sustainable environmental practices.
Well-being and services in the ocean workforce
Mission to Seafarers Newfoundland and Labrador (Memorial University) — Developing a hybrid welfare model that connects seafarers to support services through digital tools and on-the-ground programming.
Through the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship program, each selected team receives a $15,000 stipend, helping entrepreneurial leads dedicate focused time to market validation and customer discovery.
To learn more about the program and its alumni, visit oceanstartupproject.ca/l2m-oceans.