The Offshore Wind Innovation Hub Announces 2026 Selections For Its Innovator Program

The Offshore Wind Innovation Hub has announced the selection of five companies for its 2026 Innovator Program.

The Hub is led by Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC) in collaboration with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). The Innovator Program is also supported by Equinor, Ørsted and Vestas.

This year’s cohort was selected from a record-breaking pool of applications, the program’s highest total to date and a 123% increase over last year’s. These were reviewed by 40 evaluators and subject matter experts, including program partners, Tier 1 supply chain companies, industry NGOs, and research institutions. The 2026 applicant pool well reflects where New York’s offshore wind projects and partners stand today:

• Operations, maintenance, and asset performance: 42%
• Installation, construction, and commissioning: 12%
• Environmental monitoring and coexistence: 12%
• Supply chain, ports, and maritime: 11%

That shift toward operations technology tracks the industry's own maturation. As it moves from construction into operation, the innovation needed moves with it: from solutions that get projects through planning to ones that keep projects operating. This year's Call for Innovators built that shift directly into its scope, prioritizing technologies that can maximize the performance and value of existing and near-term projects. In addition to this, 56% of applicants submitted technology combining hardware and software, consistent with prior years and considered a key feature for industry startups.

The applicant pool underscores New York's pull as a destination for offshore wind innovation worldwide. While 54% of applicants were U.S.-based, the program drew submissions from 26 countries in total, reflecting the Hub's standing as a program that brings global innovators into direct contact with New York's offshore wind ecosystem, and New York's ecosystem into contact with the world's best offshore wind technology.

2026 Cohort: Join them in person at the Wind-Win Startup Showdown on November 17, 2026, where they’ll pitch to industry leaders, and attendees can connect directly alongside program partners.

• Bubble Robotics (California, US) - Resident fleet of autonomous underwater robots monitoring offshore infrastructure.
• Hefring Marine (Iceland) - Intelligence platform combining onboard hardware with software to optimize marine operations.
• SAIL GTX (New York, US) - Platform for smarter customs workflows for offshore wind components.
• TMA The Hazardous Goods Companion (Germany) - RFID and AIoT inventory visibility and predictive inventory management solution.
• Vital Ocean (Oregon, US) - Intelligence platform combining ocean data, marine environment, and decision interface.

Selected companies will receive individualized technical mentorship from corporate partners, along with seed innovation grants ranging from $10,000 - $20,000 to catalyze validation and demonstration opportunities in New York. The program will also provide bespoke entrepreneurial support, including strategic advising, hiring assistance, pro bono legal and accounting office hours, and commercialization guidance, alongside a tailored curriculum of expert talks, workshops, and peer-to-peer sessions. Cohort companies gain visibility through a flagship event and program mentions, exclusive introductions to industry stakeholders, investors, and public entities, and office access at BATWorks, New York's climate innovation hub at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.

“The strength and diversity of this year’s cohort demonstrates the impact of prioritizing innovation in the New York’s offshore wind industry across the entire supply chain,” said Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO, NYSERDA. “From procurement, to manufacturing, to operations and more, each of these companies will play an essential role in advancing the state’s domestic production of clean, reliable and affordable energy and we look forward to seeing their progress.”

“We are proud that New York City is shaping the future of the offshore wind industry, and the record number of applications to this year's Innovator Program underscores the city's position as a global destination for climate and offshore wind innovation," said New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President and CEO Anthony Shorris. "This cohort reflects both the strength of New York's innovation ecosystem and the growing global demand for solutions that can improve operations, strengthen supply chains, and advance clean energy technologies for a more resilient and competitive green economy.

 "This year's applicant pool shows the industry moving from getting projects built to keeping them running well, and that's a challenging operational problem for a startup to solve alone," said Linda Ng Boyle, NYU Tandon Vice Dean for Research. "NYU Tandon offers these entrepreneurs a collaborative environment where they can work through that problem alongside our academic researchers who study it, and we're glad to be part of getting these technologies into the field."  

"This cohort represents some of the most promising technologies in offshore renewable energy today," said Lyndie Hice-Dunton, Executive Director of NOWRDC. "Led by exceptional founders and technical teams, these companies are developing creative solutions that deliver real value across the project lifecycle. We look forward to working closely with them to help their innovations make a lasting impact on the U.S. industry. Together, we're helping build the technologies that will power a cleaner, more resilient energy future."

“Programs like the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub help emerging businesses develop technologies and services that create domestic jobs and support American energy infrastructure,” said Robert Fenton, Orsted’s Head of Americas Generation Procurement. “We congratulate the companies selected for the 2026 Innovator Program and look forward to seeing how their innovations can strengthen U.S. supply chains, support American jobs, and help improve the safe and efficient operation of offshore energy projects.”

“The enthusiasm we’ve seen for the 2026 Innovator Program is a powerful reminder of the opportunities created by offshore wind for innovators, entrepreneurs, and suppliers,” said Amy McGinty, VP Offshore Construction, Vestas. “Offshore wind reflects where American energy stands today, full of challenges but even bigger opportunities, and the companies selected for this year’s cohort represent the creativity and ambition needed to tackle that. We are proud to help foster an environment where new ideas can scale into real-world solutions that deliver economic growth, energy independence, and lasting impact."

“Bubble Robotics is building the ocean's autonomous workforce of autonomous surface and subsea robots,” said Jean Crosetti, Co-founder & CEO, Bubble Robotics. “We’re excited to join the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub to work closely with developers and industry partners, validate our solution against real operational needs, and accelerate our path to commercial deployments in the U.S.”

“Offshore wind is an enormous industrial opportunity, operating in an increasingly complex tariff and trade landscape,” said Ali Raza, Co-Founder & CEO, SAIL “We're excited to join the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub to work alongside the industry and help teams understand their full duty exposure, stay ahead of regulatory change, and keep critical components moving.”

Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, cohort companies receive introductions curated to their specific needs across the Hub's full partner network. The Urban Future Lab and NYU Tandon contribute hands-on startup support, a network of fellow climate founders, and venture capital relationships, alongside access to the university’s engineering intern and capstone programs. NOWRDC offers industry-specific R&D guidance and an exclusive opportunity to pitch its R&D committee and present at the National Offshore Wind R&D Symposium, while NYSERDA provides solution-specific market and regulatory insight, and NYCEDC connects companies to its full suite of business support. Corporate partners Equinor, Ørsted, and Vestas round out the network, mentoring cohort companies and leveraging their ongoing offshore projects for solution validation and commercialization feedback.