About BLUEiQ

Transforming undersea sound into actionable intelligence

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The BLUEiQ Team standing on a dock.

What we do

At the heart of our team lies a dynamic blend of seasoned professionals and visionary innovators, committed to pushing the boundaries of technology and business development.

Our team is composed of veterans in business development and technical leadership, boasting extensive experience across relevant sectors. We bring unparalleled expertise and strategic insight, ensuring robust growth and sustained success.

We are driven by a proven track record of innovation and entrepreneurship within the technology domain.

Our passion for innovating new solutions and ventures fuels our commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.

Our strength lies in our ability to cultivate and lead high-performing teams. We are dedicated mentors and adept team builders, fostering a culture of collaboration, growth, and achievement.

As wizards in technological innovation, we are at the forefront of driving advancements in the field of sensors and sensing. Our relentless pursuit of cutting-edge solutions propels us to set new standards and shape the future of technology.

BLUEiQ’s s based in Boston, Massachusetts, Newport, Rhode Island, and Gulfport, Mississippi

Our Values

Innovation

Leveraging advanced AI and edge computing to create cutting-edge solutions for underwater acoustic monitoring.

Experience

A wealth of knowledge and expertise in marine technology, defense, and environmental monitoring.

Commitment

Focused on protecting marine ecosystems, enhancing port security, and improving operational efficiency.

Collaboration

Working closely with customers to tailor solutions that meet their specific needs and challenges.

Meet the Founders

Sea-Level Experts

At BLUEiQ, we are charting new frontiers in acoustic AI sensing and edge intelligence, redefining how we understand and interact with the underwater sound world. Our team is a fusion of seasoned experts, visionary innovators, and relentless problem-solvers, united by a mission to push the boundaries of technology for defense, maritime security, and biodiversity intelligence.

Kim Gavin, CEO
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From space satellites to seafloor sensing, Kim has spent 20+ years pushing the boundaries of sensor innovation, tech transition, and strategic growth across government, industry, and think tanks. A leader in emergent technologies, she thrives on turning cutting-edge research into real-world impact. As a mentor ambassador for women in science and technology, she’s not just shaping the future—she’s driving BLUEiQ to redefine persistent sensing with innovative impact.

Rob McGurrin, CTO
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With 20+ years of expertise in underwater acoustics and signal processing, Rob leads the technical development of OpenEar technology, driving innovation from R&D to real-world deployment. A proven innovator with patented advancements, his work bridges cutting-edge AI sensing with practical solutions. Passionate about maritime domain awareness and noise pollution reduction, Rob ensures BLUEiQ’s technology is both impactful and mission-driven.

Awards

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August 1, 2024

2024-2025 Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Incubator

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August 29, 2024

2024 Office of Naval Research (ONR) RISE-UP - Winner

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October 7, 2024

2024 Ocean Exchange Award - Finalist

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January 15, 2025

BLUEiQ Awarded CRADA by NOAA in January 2025

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Testimonials

A Ripple Effect

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I am excited to be working with BlueiQ to see how their technology can benefit our animal care at Mississippi Aquarium. They are responsive, interested in helping, and eager to use their technology to benefit humans, animals, and the environment.
Alexa Delaune Chief Scientist and Veterinary Medicine
Mississippi Aquarium
As someone who spent the first decade of their technical career in underwater acoustics, I’m excited for the future given the work of BLUEiQ. The world’s oceans remain true mysteries in many ways. By contrast, think of how we treat the skies. Not an object above us can fly or float without being detected in some way. However, the same situation does NOT exist for our oceans. The technical challenges of gaining understanding have been immense. Sound and energy propagation underwater is far more complex than in the atmosphere. BLUEiQ has brought forth a solution that can be leveraged by anyone seeking capabilities to sense and react to underwater phenomenon. I’ve had the privilege in the past of working with both Kim and Rob. They are the core of a capable team that allows BLUEiQ to meet a wide variety of customer needs in the underwater acoustics marketplace. I would not hesitate to call on BLUEiQ to meet any sensing and information processing needs in the underwater realm.
Edward Campbell Former CEO, Advisor, Consultant
Raytheon BBN Technologies
Kim and Rob are a great team. They know each other and know their space, as they have a long history of working together on innovative applications for passive listening technology. Super diligent and hard working, super collaborative and appreciative of mentor inputs, and their product has huge potential for environmental protection applications (which I care about a lot). I'm excited to see them succeed in building BLUEiQ!
Megan Pillsbury CEO
Dunya Analytics
BLUEiQ was one of six companies selected for the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Blue Navigator Cohort - 1, out of over 260 potential applicants. Applicants went through a rigorous selection process to be accepted into the program. BLUEiQ was selected based on the company’s strong leadership, technical expertise, and novelty of their innovative OpenEar AI acoustic sensor technology. From USM’s Center for Ocean Enterprise efforts in working with BLUEiQ on testing and demonstration projects for validating and enhancing BLUEiQ’s OpenEar acoustic AI technology, BLUEiQ has demonstrated superior technical capabilities and expertise. Their technology represents a significant innovation in the field of marine sensing technology. Based on this experience working with BLUEiQ I can highly recommend them without any reservation.
Joe Graben Director at Gulf Blue
University of Southern Mississippi
Their unique acoustic technology has broad applications and they showed an amazing ability to pivot to different customer needs in a variety of domains avoiding the mentality of "when you have a hammer every problem is a nail" that so often is a challenge with startups.
Joel Lawhead PMP
GISP
As the Director of Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, and Training at the University of Southern Mississippi's Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise, I am pleased to provide this recommendation for BlueIQ and their innovative Open Ear product. Our collaboration with BlueIQ has proven to be instrumental in advancing maritime domain awareness, particularly in vessel detection through the integration of their cutting-edge technology with our oceanographic buoys. During our partnership, BlueIQ's software defined hydrophone was rigorously tested on our buoys, demonstrating exceptional performance in real-world maritime environments. The product consistently delivered high-quality acoustic data which was crucial for our research and partner's operational needs. Currently, BlueIQ’s team is working closely with us to co-develop and test machine learning models tailored for vessel detection and classification. We are proud to be working alongside Kim and Rob.
Dr. Jason McKenna Technical Director and CTO
Navy CNMOC

Wave-Making Allies

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