Interview with Daniel Kleinman, Founder, Seaworthy Collective / 10 minute read
Daniel Kleinman, photo by JOCK FISTICK for South Florida Business Journal
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Seaworthy Collective (501c3) is a Miami-based BlueTech (ocean innovation) entrepreneur support organization & community. Their mission is to enable access & inclusion in innovation for ocean & climate impact.
They envision oceans of opportunity without barriers, where everyone can contribute to solutions making positive change for our blue planet. This is done through empowering Sea Change Makers – supporting early-stage & aspiring entrepreneurs across diverse backgrounds & impact areas globally – who drive innovation for 71% of the planet (our ocean) to regenerate 100% of the planet. |
World Centric: Why did you start Seaworthy Collective?
Daniel: After 5 years as a marine roboticist, I saw firsthand how limited the professional opportunities were to contribute to innovation driving meaningful ocean and climate impact. My experience highlighted that the greatest barriers we have to solving climate change and marine degradation aren’t technical. Instead, they are barriers to opportunity, implementation, and collaboration for people, solutions, and regions alike.
World Centric: What does Seaworthy Collective do?
Daniel: Seaworthy Collective, launched in 2020, is an entrepreneur support organization and community enabling access and inclusion in innovation for ocean and climate impact. We envision oceans of opportunity without barriers, where everyone can contribute to solutions making positive change for our blue planet.
Our impact areas of focus include:
Seaworthy’s expanding global network currently hosts 2,250 members, 250 mentors and collaborators, and investors with over $1 billion in combined assets. Our community programs have educated more than 3500, and our startup programs have supported 20 startups and 48 founders across 4 continents over 2 years. We especially focus on driving intentional inclusion of underrepresented entrepreneurs, with 35% of our program participants to date identifying as female and/or diverse founders.
Daniel: After 5 years as a marine roboticist, I saw firsthand how limited the professional opportunities were to contribute to innovation driving meaningful ocean and climate impact. My experience highlighted that the greatest barriers we have to solving climate change and marine degradation aren’t technical. Instead, they are barriers to opportunity, implementation, and collaboration for people, solutions, and regions alike.
World Centric: What does Seaworthy Collective do?
Daniel: Seaworthy Collective, launched in 2020, is an entrepreneur support organization and community enabling access and inclusion in innovation for ocean and climate impact. We envision oceans of opportunity without barriers, where everyone can contribute to solutions making positive change for our blue planet.
Our impact areas of focus include:
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction & Removal: seaweed farming, nature-based solutions, and decarbonization
- Coastal Resilience & Adaptation: environmental restoration such as mangroves and coral reefs, infrastructure for sea level rise and storm surge
- Pollution: improving water quality and tackling plastic pollution both upstream and downstream
Seaworthy’s expanding global network currently hosts 2,250 members, 250 mentors and collaborators, and investors with over $1 billion in combined assets. Our community programs have educated more than 3500, and our startup programs have supported 20 startups and 48 founders across 4 continents over 2 years. We especially focus on driving intentional inclusion of underrepresented entrepreneurs, with 35% of our program participants to date identifying as female and/or diverse founders.
Sea Worthy Collective's first group of Sea Change Makers
World Centric: How have you seen plastic pollution affect Miami’s coastline?
Daniel: Every time I walk the beach, there's always some evidence of plastic pollution; be it a water bottle cap, plastic bag, or wrapper. We especially see it pile up in our coastal ecosystems - mangroves and coral reefs. There's nothing more saddening than diving and picking up litter at depth.
World Centric: What are some inspiring innovations and solutions you’ve seen come through Seaworthy as it pertains to pollution?
Daniel: We've worked with solutions spanning both upstream (getting plastic out of the supply chain) and downstream (plastic pollution). Solutions include autonomous surface vehicles that remove plastic from waterways (Clean Earth Rovers), to startups helping to turn invasive sargassum into plastic (Thalasso), and even startups addressing the smallest yet largest problem; microplastics (SEED.WORLD). Learn more about our past startups here.
Daniel: Every time I walk the beach, there's always some evidence of plastic pollution; be it a water bottle cap, plastic bag, or wrapper. We especially see it pile up in our coastal ecosystems - mangroves and coral reefs. There's nothing more saddening than diving and picking up litter at depth.
World Centric: What are some inspiring innovations and solutions you’ve seen come through Seaworthy as it pertains to pollution?
Daniel: We've worked with solutions spanning both upstream (getting plastic out of the supply chain) and downstream (plastic pollution). Solutions include autonomous surface vehicles that remove plastic from waterways (Clean Earth Rovers), to startups helping to turn invasive sargassum into plastic (Thalasso), and even startups addressing the smallest yet largest problem; microplastics (SEED.WORLD). Learn more about our past startups here.
Clean Earth Rovers' 'Plastics Piranha 001' takes the water in Richmond, California.
World Centric: Why should people care about protecting our oceans?
Daniel: Most solutions addressing climate change are terrestrially biased; focused on leveraging less than 30% of the planet (land) to try to solve a global problem. Even if we planted 1 trillion trees, we would only be able to capture up to 1/3rd of all human CO2 emissions to date. Despite being the planet’s largest absorber of heat and carbon, the oceans have largely been overlooked as an asset against climate change. It's literally our biggest asset to survival on our planet - and at this point we need to do more than sustain and protect them; thinking bigger about how we regenerate our oceans with net positive solutions.
Daniel: Most solutions addressing climate change are terrestrially biased; focused on leveraging less than 30% of the planet (land) to try to solve a global problem. Even if we planted 1 trillion trees, we would only be able to capture up to 1/3rd of all human CO2 emissions to date. Despite being the planet’s largest absorber of heat and carbon, the oceans have largely been overlooked as an asset against climate change. It's literally our biggest asset to survival on our planet - and at this point we need to do more than sustain and protect them; thinking bigger about how we regenerate our oceans with net positive solutions.
World Centric: If people can take away one message from this newsletter, what do you hope it will be?
Daniel: The future is interdisciplinary; the people driving these solutions aren't always marine scientists and PhD's - they're resourceful entrepreneurs who are so tirelessly passionate and resourceful, they will find the solution. If you have a passion for serving our blue planet and want to explore aligning your passion with your career path in the blue economy - there is a community and opportunities out there; with us and an entire ecosystem for ocean innovation.
> Support The Seaworthy Collective
Daniel: The future is interdisciplinary; the people driving these solutions aren't always marine scientists and PhD's - they're resourceful entrepreneurs who are so tirelessly passionate and resourceful, they will find the solution. If you have a passion for serving our blue planet and want to explore aligning your passion with your career path in the blue economy - there is a community and opportunities out there; with us and an entire ecosystem for ocean innovation.
> Support The Seaworthy Collective
Daniel Kleinman
Founder, Seaworthy Collective
Founder, Seaworthy Collective
