Oceanit named one of the most innovative companies in Hawaiʻi by Pacific Business News

From developing bullet-proof material for military helicopters to creating protein bars with 80 grams of protein, innovation at Oceanit is based on ideas that will solve real-world problems. That has been driving the success of the science, technology and engineering company for the past 40 years.

Founded in Hawaii in 1985 by CEO Patrick Sullivan, Oceanit started as a coastal engineering firm and grew into a global deep-tech organization that is now accelerating its growth by using artificial intelligence to sift through the number of possibilities for an experiment.

“AI is a tool like anything else,” Sullivan said. “We don’t see it as a panacea, but we see it as something that can improve efficiency and help us build faster.”

For example, if there are 1,000 possibilities for the design or materials that will be used for a product, Oceanit uses AI to select five possibilities that are most likely to have the best outcome.

Oceanit’s team is constantly developing new ideas and inventions. The company has a large portfolio of inventions because the products are not released immediately.

“We have part of the team that’s just listening to the market. We are in aerospace, energy, healthcare, and so by listening to the market, we’re looking at, ‘OK, this is where we think the world needs to go,” Sullivan said. “You can deal with the market risk by throwing huge amounts of capital at it, or you can try to find the market opportunity, and when that happens, push really hard to push the product out ….”

More than a decade ago, Oceanit developed AeroPel Nanocomposite Protective Layer, a water-based material that can be sprayed on aircraft to stop corrosion, and first experimented with the product on a Hawaiian Airlines aircraft. “The results were excellent,” Sullivan said. “Now, fast forward, we’re trying to push out into the commercial space, and of course there is a bunch more military interest.”

“We’re going into a big growth phase, and we’re building a global brand to support that,” Sullivan said. “We’re looking at hiring people to help us manage this in Europe and in the Middle East and more in Hawaii.”

This story was originally written by Nichole Villegas for Pacific Business News. To read the full story and read about other innovative companies in Hawaii, visit PBNʻs website.

Itʻs not the first time Oceanit has been nominated by Pacific Business News. Check out previous wins here:

• Matthew Sullivan 2023 Fire Awards Honoree
• Oceanit Honored With 2022 Inno Fire Award for Technology, Science, and Data