3D-printed seawalls company secures U.S. Navy contract – The Business Journals

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Businesses, private residents and more than one Florida city are using Kind Designs’ 3D-printed seawalls to protect coastlines from rising sea levels.
Now, the U.S. Navy is interested.
The Miami company was awarded a phase one grant from the Naval Sea Systems Command for research and development. It will receive up to $175,000 for the project, and could eventually install its seawalls at the NAVSEA Ocean Measurement Facility in Broward County.
“Their seawall is deteriorated, and that puts their coastal assets at risk,” said Charlotte Hoffman, Kind Designs strategy and innovation manager.
The company uses an enormous 3D-printing robot to mass-produce “living seawalls” designed to mimic mangroves and coral reefs. Unlike with traditional seawalls, algae and other marine life can grow on its non-toxic structures. They are also embedded with sensor systems to collect water quality data.
Founded in 2021, Kind Designs has already attracted financing from investors such as billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. It has raised $5 million in seed funding and won the grand prize at the 2023 Florida Aerospace and Emerging Tech Forum.
Kind Designs will use the NAVSEA grant to develop a modular seawall system that will enable it to essentially create seawall blocks that can be stacked on top of each other. That will make it easier to build taller structures – its current robot prints up to 12 feet high – or add to an existing seawall if waters rise.
It’s an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional seawalls, which are often made from steel-reinforced concrete or steel sheet piles that can contaminate water.
It could also be a cheaper one. While the company’s seawalls are about the same price, they have the potential to last far longer.
CEO Anya Freeman said Kind Designs is able to use a mixture of concrete and recycled materials to build structures strong enough to stand without rebar. That could more than triple the life of a seawall from 30 to 100 years.
“We’ve always been focused on the economics of the project first and foremost,” Freeman said. “We don’t have to convince people to buy our seawalls just because they are better for the environment, because the price makes sense. The environmental impact is a bonus.”
Pet product manufacturer to rebrand after acquisition
Pet products manufacturer Custom Veterinary Services acquired Vermont-based Green Mountain Animal for an undisclosed amount.
The two businesses will be rebranded as CompletePet. Custom Veterinary Services is a portfolio company of Texas-bsaed private equity firm Align Capital Partners. The manufacturer has a 147,000-square-foot, U.S. Food and Drug Administration-registered facility in Hialeah.
Who’s Raising?
$30 million
What Miami-based Moderne secured in a series B funding round led by Acrew Capital, with participation from Morgan Stanley, Amex Ventures, TIAA Ventures and previous investors such as Allstate. The startup’s platform can automatically analyze huge amounts of a business’ existing code to fix vulnerabilities and improve code quality.
By the Numbers
Technology industry employees in Florida are earning higher salaries than ever, according to a recent report from Dice, a career site for tech industry.
$116,939
Average salary for Florida tech workers
$131,332
Average salary in Silicon Valley, the highest in the U.S.
No. 5
Where Florida ranks nationally for tech pay
4.4%
Year-over-year pay increase in the South, the biggest bump among the U.S. regions studied
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