On May 13, 2025, I had the privilege of pitching our GaiaXus Water Guardian at Salisbury University’s 24th Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation Shore Hatchery Entrepreneurship Competition. After an inspiring, high‑energy day, the judges awarded us a $5,000 prize—exactly the boost we need as we move from small‑batch builds to full production scale.
Why does this check—and the program behind it—matter? Since 2013 the Shore Hatchery has combined seed funding with year‑round mentorship for 128 startups that now report roughly $35 million in annual profits and 1,169 jobs created. Put simply, the community I just joined knows how to turn early momentum into lasting impact. Sharing the stage with entrepreneurs whose products and stories were nothing short of remarkable was both humbling and motivating.
What struck me most, though, was the camaraderie. Despite coming from different industries, every founder in the room shared the conviction that you can build a successful business and make the world better at the same time. I wish the day had been longer so I could have traded ideas and forged more friendships.
I’m profoundly grateful to the Ratcliffe Foundation, Salisbury University’s Franklin P. Perdue School of Business, and the volunteer mentors who give their time and expertise. Their confidence—and their guidance—will power us through our next sprint.
If you’d like to pilot Water Guardian in your school, watershed group, or citizen‑science project—or if you simply want to talk shop about environmental data quality—drop me a line at info@giaxus.com. Together we can ensure that high‑quality water‑quality data is within reach of every student and community scientist, one data point at a time.
