BLUE INNOVATION PROGRAM
PROGRAM DETAILS
OVERVIEW: The highly anticipated launch of the CoastX Blue Innovation Program is finally here. Designed and developed by 3-time successful entrepreneur and former Executive Director of UNH's Nationally acclaimed Entrepreneurship Center (ECenter), Ian Grant and Traip Academy Experiential Learning Coordinator, Susan Johnson, who has coached students to success at the Maine Venture Fund Business Plan Competition and the Changemaker Collaborative.
The program is designed to be fun and fast! Sparking curiosity and strengthening students’ problem-solving skills as they create solutions to real ocean-based challenges.
Middle and High School Students + Home School (Grades 6-12)
Drop-off/pick-up Location: Kittery Community Center, Kittery , ME
REGISTRATION: Inquire About Wait List
Two Options for Students:
StartUp Sprint: Ocean Innovation (Friday pm & Saturday ONLY)
For students with interest in ocean + innovation/entrepreneurship, but don't have the time for the full 6 week Blue Innovation Program. Perfect to get the basic skills of idea development and innovation.
Immersive hands-on entrepreneurship program designed to help participants go from idea to prototype in just two days. It brings together students to form teams, identify ocean related problems, learn how to validate ideas through customer discovery, and rapidly build business models. The program emphasizes experiential learning — “learning by doing” — rather than lectures.
The Weekend Startup "Sprint" is being led by nationally awarded innovation facilitator Erika Haskins who has worked with over 150 college and schools to provide a fun and engaged sprint workshop that will include hands-on experience in problem identification, ideation, idea validation, and early stage development with a team presentation at the end.
Teams (2-4 students) will be segmented by middle school and high school, and with students who share the same interest and passion for the idea for a product/service/company to solve the problem they have identified.
January 9th-10th 2026 - ONLY
Friday (4:30-8:00pm) Saturday (8:30am-4:30 pm)
$75.00 Registration Fee
Thanks to CoastX donors, a limited number of scholarships are available for students with proven financial need. Please email info@CoastX.org
Blue Innovation Program:
A more robust program for students with interest in ocean + innovation/entrepreneurship and want to spend more time with experts and mentors to develop their idea into a product or service.
Includes the StartUp Sprint: Ocean Innovation (above) plue 6 after-school weekly sessions with mentors, speakers, ocean experts. Allows students to develop deeper innovation + entrepreneurship skills to grow their idea with prototypes, customer discovery, financial considerations, and end with a fully developed 3 minute pitch. Added option to work with CoastX judges to present at national competitions for students.
Each Team will have 1-2 mentors (previous or current entrepreneurs who have started companies) to work with students over the duration of the program to guide the process.
All students will have access to ocean-oriented subject matter experts to ask for advice and insights as they develop the team idea.
6 Weekly Tuesday Sessions 4:00pm-6:30 pm
- January 13th, 20th, 27th,
- February 3rd, 10th
- Weeks of ME and NH February vacation, no meetings. Teams work on an idea on their own.
- March 3rd final prep and presentations
After-school sessions will be broken into three parts:
1. Guest speaker: An ocean-related entrepreneur will share their story about how they solved a problem they identified and their journey to create their current company/product. Q&A at the end.
2. Group Skill Development. In each session, one of the entrepreneur leads will provide an overview of key work aspects necessary for any innovator to continue developing and validating the idea.
3. Team work + mentor time. Teams will work on the necessary building blocks from customer discovery to prototype development. Possible trip to makerspace for those teams requiring that level for a prototype.
WEEKLY HOMEWORK
Students and mentors will decide and write down what progress and activities have to happen over the course of the next week to stay on track to finalize the product or service
March 3rd
- 90 minutes for teams to make final changes and presentation preparation.
- 90-minute presentations open to family and friends. Judges to award prizes.
- Celebration!
National Idea Competition: Students can elect to continue on their project and be coached to enter a national business idea competition. An excellent experience and story to tell for any application!
$150.00 Registration Fee
Thanks to CoastX donors, a limited number of scholarships are available for students with proven financial need. Please email info@CoastX.org
Will include Pizza in each session. If your child has any food restrictions, we suggest that they bring their own snack/meal. Students should bring their own water
Blue Innovation Team
CoastX co-founders Susan Hackett Johnson and Ian Grant are the Blue Innovation Program Leaders. CoastX is excited to announce the following initial entrepreneurs, innovators, speakers, mentors and subject matter experts who will also be part of the StartUp Sprint and full Blue Innovation Program for students.
Erika Haskins
StartUp Sprint Lead
Erika is a seasoned entrepreneur and educator who served as CEO of 3 Day Startup, where she led the rapid-innovation program that brought startup thinking to students and early founders. With more than 15 years of experience coaching founders, facilitating venture creation, and advancing inclusive economic ecosystems, she now drives impact through venture building, investment and community development.
Ian Grant
Student Team Mentor
Ian is a successful entrepreneur and innovation leader with a career spanning venture creation, corporate innovation, and ecosystem building. Over the course of his entrepreneurial career, he founded or co‑founded three companies, all of which were successfully acquired. These included MTS-Group/CandidatePool, HotChili Technology, and VillageGenie.com. He has was Director of Innovation at Circles with focus on American Express Concierge services.
He was appointed the inaugural Director of the Peter T. Paul Entrepreneurship Center (ECenter) at the University of New Hampshire, where he launched and scaled experiential programs that helped hundreds students and founders turn ideas into launched ventures. During his tenure, he coached teams to regional and national competition wins and raised more than $8 million in philanthropic support. Ian is also a co‑founder of CoastX. He graduated from St. Lawrence University.
Joel Nkounkou
Student Team Mentor
Joel is a New Hampshire–based entrepreneur and technologist. He was the Co-Founder and CEO of ecoText, Inc., a collaborative digital learning platform launched while he was a senior at the University of New Hampshire, designed to reduce the cost of college textbooks and expand access to educational resources.He received the Forbes 30 Under 30 award and winning the New Hampshire Tech Alliance Startup Showcase, which led to a $200,000 investment from Millworks Fund II.
He currently serves as Head of Growth for Project Exa and remains actively engaged in the UNH innovation ecosystem through service on the UNH Alumni Association Board of Directors and the ECenter Advisory Task Force.
Joel holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from UNH.
Matt Scheuer
Student Team Mentor
Matt is an entrepreneurial ocean engineer and technology innovator focused on applying advanced robotics to expand access to ocean exploration, education, and environmental science. With academic roots in marine science and hands-on engineering experience, Matt blends technical depth with startup leadership to develop practical subsea technologies.
Matt was the founder and CEO of Electrona Robotics, an underwater robotics startup focused on building low-cost remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for research, education, and commercial use. He gained early recognition after winning first place in the University of New England’s inaugural business entrepreneurship competition
Beyond Electrona Robotics, Matt has participated in hardware innovation panels, startup pitch events, and marine technology showcases, and has continued his professional work in subsea systems and ocean robotics, including involvement with autonomous and remotely operated marine platforms. Matt graduated from the University of New England
Susan Johnson
Speakers
The following are ocean oriented entrepreneurs who will share their experiences and advice with students
Emily Hazelwood
Emily is a marine conservation biologist and entrepreneur who co-founded the certified women-owned firm Blue Latitudes in 2015 to bridge offshore industry, science, and environmental innovation Under her leadership the company developed the proprietary FishLAT (Fisheries Location Assessment Technology) platform to assess how energy-infrastructure decisions impact marine ecosystems.
Hazelwood was recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her role in creating sustainable, cost-effective solutions for the offshore energy sector.
Keele Ford
Keele is a senior at Traip Academy High School in Kittery, Maine, recognized for her innovative work at the intersection of ocean science, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. She developed Saltwater Sunscreen, a reef-safe sunscreen made using sugar kelp, designed to reduce environmental harm while protecting human health. Her work has earned regional recognition, including first place at UNH Sustainability Idea Competition and third place in the High School Division of the Maine Startup Challenge, where she also received the People’s Choice Award, highlighting strong support from judges and the public alike. Through her research and entrepreneurial efforts, Ford exemplifies the next generation of environmentally focused innovators committed to marine-based solutions.
Josh Humberston
Josh is a marine entrepreneur, physical oceanographer, and data science innovator focused on building technology that strengthens coastal resilience and improves decision‑making in ocean and shoreline environments. He is the Founder and CEO of Coastal Measures, an environmental technology company that leverages AI, advanced analytics, and high‑resolution coastal data to deliver actionable insights for climate adaptation, infrastructure planning, and marine risk assessment. With a strong foundation in physical oceanography and coastal processes, Josh combines hands‑on field research experience with scalable digital platforms that translate complex environmental data into practical tools for communities, insurers, developers, and researchers.
Through his leadership at Coastal Measures, Josh has helped bridge the gap between scientific observation and real‑world application, advancing solutions that make coastal intelligence more accessible, predictive, and impactful. He actively collaborates across academia, industry, and the blue economy innovation ecosystem and is recognized for applying entrepreneurial thinking to some of the most pressing challenges facing coastal regions today.
Inga Potter
Inga Potter, PhD, is a marine biologist, educator, and blue-economy entrepreneur whose passion for the ocean began during childhood summers on Nantucket Island. She earned her doctorate from the University of New Hampshire in 2010, where her research focused on the ecology and behavior of large oceanic fish, and has since collaborated with scientists around the world. Inga has taught biology and environmental science at multiple levels, inspiring students of all ages through hands-on learning in marine ecology and natural sciences. She is also an accomplished public speaker, sharing insights on marine ecosystems, climate resilience, and sustainable solutions.
As Co-Founder of Cold Current Kelp LLC, based in Southern Maine, Inga blends rigorous scientific expertise with entrepreneurial innovation to advance regenerative kelp aquaculture and ocean-based products. Her work emphasizes environmentally responsible cultivation practices and the translation of kelp’s unique bioactive properties into sustainable consumer applications. Through Cold Current Kelp, Inga is helping build a regenerative blue economy that supports coastal communities while restoring and protecting ocean ecosystems.
Laura Brown
Laura Brown is the founder and owner of Fox Point Oysters, a small, owner-operated oyster farm located in Little Bay within New Hampshire’s Great Bay estuary. A New Hampshire native, Laura began oyster farming in 2011 after being inspired by oyster restoration work in the region, harvesting her first oysters in 2015. Today, Fox Point Oysters is known for producing sustainably raised Eastern oysters that reflect the unique waters of the Seacoast and contribute to the growing local aquaculture economy.
Before entering aquaculture, Laura built a career as a visual artist and educator, earning a Master of Fine Arts and teaching at colleges and art schools across the country. She brings that same creativity, discipline, and environmental ethic to her work on the water. In addition to farming, Laura is an active advocate for oyster restoration, water quality, and public education, partnering with researchers and conservation organizations and regularly hosting farm tours to share the ecological and cultural value of shellfish farming in coastal New England.
Omar Hussein
Omar Hussein is a prominent leader in youth ocean innovation, widely recognized for his role as Director of the Brilliant Blue Challenge. In this capacity, he has helped shape one of the region’s most impactful programs empowering young people to tackle real-world ocean and environmental challenges through creativity, entrepreneurship, and applied science. His work centers on bridging education, innovation, and stewardship—ensuring students are not only learning about the ocean, but actively developing solutions that protect and sustain it.
Through his leadership, Omar has championed inclusive, hands-on programming that inspires the next generation of ocean innovators, problem-solvers, and changemakers. He is known for cultivating strong partnerships among educators, scientists, nonprofits, and industry leaders, and for mentoring students as they transform ideas into viable projects with real community impact. Omar’s commitment to youth leadership and ocean health continues to influence how innovation ecosystems engage and empower young people in addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing our blue planet.