Robert, an avid beach goer and surfer, was thinking one day about an issue that he was learning about at his local SoCal beaches regarding the growing issue with people getting injured from stingrays. He himself while surfing has had fish, seals, dolphins, stingrays, even small sharks swim near him, and even brushed up against him. This got him thinking about risk of injury to himself and others. He started a dialog with his friend and work colleague Ryan.

Through their combined efforts and ideas.. synergy has developed and as entrepreneurs they naturally looped in additional people with special talents, skills, perspective. Through collaboration a team has formed of growth mind innovators.

Since the start of INNOVATE blu, Robert himself has been stung by a stingray, his bother-in-law, and multiple of his friend(s). In fact, Ryan has great memories growing up in sunny Dana Point, CA. While swimming, bodysurfing, bodyboarding and surfing as a kid he never stepped on a single stingray on any beach from San Diego to Seal Beach. In the last 8 years, he has stepped on several! Luckily, he has never been stung! Unfortunately, he cannot say the same about friends, family members, and even patients he has personally treated in his medical practice as a Physician Assistant. We have definitely noticed the gradual upward trend in stingray injuries over recent years, and speaking with a lead lifeguard in Oceanside, CA we have recently learned that on warm weekends in the summer its not uncommon to see 60+ stingray injuries in a single day. Bummer! Day ruined!

We are in the pursuit of solutions to current problems/risks of open water ocean adventure. Our current focus is on development of a wearable device that will protect the wearer from stingray injuries. Please read more: