Laminar Scientific

Laminar Scientific is a marine energy company based in Iowa City, Iowa, founded in 2021. It develops wave energy conversion technology intended to supply reliable power to coastal and island communities that face high energy costs and dependence on shipped-in diesel fuel. The team combines aerospace engineering backgrounds with energy and marine industry experience.

The company's product line includes MantaWave, a nearshore wave energy converter, and MantaHub, described as a multi-energy platform. MantaWave "cups" oncoming waves to drive linear generators and is rated at 40 kilowatts, which the company characterizes as enough to serve 75 homes at a 56 percent cost reduction. The device is towed to its installation site by another boat rather than requiring divers or drones, uses roughly five times fewer moving parts than comparable systems, and can change shape to adapt to oncoming storms.

As of early 2024 the company reported three employees. Its stated traction includes U.S. Department of Energy TEAMER grant awards, three signed letters of intent with customers, a contract with a Southeast Asian mining and energy company, and support from more than 120 crowdfunders. Investors named by the company include Techstars and Mariner Skills.

Founding story

Founder and CEO Narayan Iyer grew up in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where reliable electricity is a persistent constraint. He moved to the United States for college in 2012, earned a B.S. in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering from Purdue University, and worked for nearly five years as a Platform Systems Engineer at Rockwell Collins, including work on cockpit design for NASA and Airbus aircraft. Motivated by climate concerns and the energy challenges facing island communities, he began developing concepts in 2020, built a prototype and presented it at a conference, and founded Laminar Scientific in 2021.

Business model

Laminar Scientific develops marine energy hardware and licenses related intellectual property. Reported commercial arrangements include a $1 million contract with a Southeast Asian mining and energy company that the founder described as a patent licensing contract, alongside three signed letters of intent with customers. A company-research profile classifies the company's revenue as recurring and its customers as enterprise and government.

Traction

Reported traction includes U.S. Department of Energy TEAMER grant awards (described as four on the company site and two in a company-research profile), two DOE grants of $150,000 each, a $1 million contract with a Southeast Asian mining and energy company, three signed letters of intent with customers, close to $500,000 raised via crowdfunding from more than 120 crowdfunders, two issued patents and four pending, and participation in the 2023 Techstars Industries of the Future Accelerator.