BLUE Incubator supporting over 30 BlueTech and ClimateTech Startups since 2017

John is the Co-Owner of Digital Tech Partners, Inc. (DTP) and Managing Partner – Systems Engineering    DTP is laser focused on providing expert cybersecurity services to businesses in regulated industries.   Most recently he received credentialing from the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Accreditation Body as a Registered Practitioner (#2496).  At the present time there are only 1,700 in the World.  Decades of experience with Multi-Billion dollar companies, and dozens of continuing education certifications (many of which are security focused) separates John from his peers.  

Prior to starting DTP John served as Department Head of Information Technology Systems Engineering, as well as Department Head of Systems Infrastructure and Operations for MITRE Corporation.    A Veteran (Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, and Order of Saint Barbara), and retiree from the Massachusetts National Guard, his service to the nation and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts spans 23 years.  John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing, an M.B.A., and is a currently a candidate for the Master of Science, Systems Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.   

  Narine Emdjian is a seasoned and highly successful Federal Funding Adviser who is passionate about helping startups and innovators to acquire federal grants by:  

• Providing end-to-end grant writing support 

• Researching & matching the right SBIR|STTR federal funding 

• Preparing and submitting project proposals 

• Supporting in document compliance including support letters, budgeting, bio sketches, collaborations.

  Dustin Varnell is the founder and owner of V2 Subsea and brings marine operations experience above and below the surface.  Dustin has two decades of experience working in marine operations, shipping, and offshore energy.  He spent fifteen years at sea as a ship's officer, working domestically and internationally.  After working globally in the merchant marine and offshore energy industry, he came ashore, followed his passion for marine technology, and founded a company focused on advancing the blue economy.      

Dustin holds a B.S. in Marine Transportation and an M.S. in Facilities Planning and Management from Massachusetts Maritime Academy.  He is also a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Master Mariner with a dynamic positioning certification from the Nautical Institute.  He is also the Emerging Technology Committee Chair for the SOCP (Ship Operations Cooperative Program), a leading industry group focused on improving the U.S. maritime industry. 

Rich Weissman, an experienced supply chain management practitioner and educator, collaborates with companies, trade associations and professional development organizations to create articles, insights, business briefs, presentations, blogs and custom content, with a focus on managing the global supply chain.  He also develops and delivers innovative professional development programs for small and midsize businesses, concentrating on strategy, leadership, management and workforce development, operations management and process improvement, and sales and customer service. Rich’s long history of community involvement includes leadership positions with national, regional, and local social service organizations, helping to improve their strategic, financial, and operational performance.  

Rich earned an MS in Management from Lesley University and a BA in Economics from Rutgers University. He teaches operations management, supply chain management, marketing, and managerial economics at the graduate and undergraduate levels for Endicott College, Northeastern University, Lasell University, Lesley University and Cambridge College. He is a corporate trainer for Cape Cod Community College’s Center for Corporate and Professional Education, specializing in leadership and management development. 

 Peg is the founder and CEO of CreositySpace, an innovative K-5 curriculum company that presents science through the lens of entrepreneurship to empower students to change how they see themselves using science.   

She is a creative problem solver and 360 thinker leveraging her professional experience in corporate strategic communications and as a non-technical writer, to support ClimateTech startups for the past 15 years. Peg is adept at translating technical jargon into everyday language, and enjoys helping entrepreneurs figure out the story they need to tell to engage key stakeholders, create compelling content for varied audiences, and position themselves strategically.    

Passionate about the environmental challenges facing the planet, she’s worked in varied academic, corporate and NGO settings focused on entrepreneurship or environmental initiatives. At Hancock Timber Resource Management, she co-managed the environmental stewardship program and stakeholder relations. As consultant to the Severino Center for Entrepreneurship at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), she rebuilt the PR and media relations program to position the Center and its business school as a recognized resource on entrepreneurship and finance. In her role as a principal at Innovators Ink, Peg supported strategic communications, marketing, and business development efforts for educational initiatives, cleantech startups and government entities including NYSERDA, NYS STEM Learning Network, Crystal IS, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Peg served on the working group that shaped the U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Initiative, and her articles have appeared in several online news sites, including Green Economy Post and the Guardian US. Peg earned her BA and MA degrees in history from Smith College and the University of Toronto.

Collaborative Partnership created to support BLUE Incubator Startups in BlueTech, ClimateTech, and the wider Blue Economy 

Groundwork New Bedford and Blue Institute Labs have created a collaborative partnership to support the BlueTech & ClimateTech Startups in the BLUE Incubator that will grow New Bedford's Blue Economy.   

  Groundwork, a woman owned business, is New Bedford's first open co-working space and host to a robust entrepreneurial community and organizations such as the New Bedford Ocean Cluster and EforAll South Coast, the business accelerator that launched our sister non-profit 501c3 the Blue Institute back in the Summer of 2016.  

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