Experiment Foundation
Experiment was founded in 2012 by Cindy Wu and Denny Luan. I started the Experiment Foundation in 2020 to give foundations and organizations the ability to fund scientists in new ways. One of our initiatives is Science Better, a podcast where I interview scientists about their research habits and ideas for improving the institution of science.
Selected Coverage: Fast Company, Endpoints
Sofar Ocean
Technologies
In early 2019, OpenROV merged with Spoondrift Technologies to form Sofar. We build ocean drones and sensors that anyone can use. The mission of the company is to create pervasive sensor networks to understand and monitor ocean environments and provide critical data for ocean enthusiasts, industry, and conservation.
Selected Coverage: Outside Magazine, Washington Post, TechCrunch
OpenROV
(Acquired by Sofar)
OpenROV began as a search for gold in underwater cave. My friend Eric Stackpole and I built an low-cost ROV kit and shared our design on Kickstarter. Subsequent designs and iterations followed. A company was formed, a community was built, and thousands of ROVs were shipped all over the world.
Selected Coverage: NYTimes, NYTimes, Gizmodo, BBC
Open Explorer
(Acquired by National Geographic)
Open Explorer began as a site for us to document our expeditions and explorations around the world. It’s a digital field journal that allows scientists and explorers — both professional and amateur — to share their stories with the world. It lives at National Geographic now, called Field Notes.
Selected Coverage: National Geographic, Fast Company
S.E.E. Initiative
The S.E.E. Initiative was a pioneering non-profit program that provided Trident Underwater Drones to citizen scientists, researchers, and conservation groups around the world. It was backed by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, Rolex, the Avatar Alliance Foundation, and others.
Selected Coverage: National Geographic, Fast Company