OCEAN · WATER · ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
Technical depth.
Commercial direction.
Chris Ward
Principal Consultant
Growth strategy for ocean, water and environmental technology businesses.
Supporting BlueTech companies, investors, and entrepreneurs with market insight and practical guidance.
40
years of experience
from the field to the executive team
SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE. CONNECTED MARKETS.
Fluent in the technology.
Grounded in the market.
At Delawarde Consulting, BlueTech spans ocean, coastal, maritime, freshwater and wastewater technologies—from sensors and autonomous platforms to analytics. As AI moves from informing decisions to making them, value creation and funding priorities shift. Delawarde combines market insight with current business tools to help companies understand these changes, identify where they can compete and position themselves for growth.
Understanding the technology.
Working together to turn insight into action.
Ocean, coastal & maritime
Oceanographic instrumentation · Hydrography, sonar & marine geophysics · Autonomous underwater & surface vehicles · Port, harbor, tide & current monitoring · Aquaculture & fisheries technology, including marine aquaculture and ropeless fishing systems
Hydrology & monitoring
Surface water & groundwater · River, stream & irrigation-network flow · Hydrometeorology & weather stations · Remote monitoring networks
Water & environmental
Water quality & microbial monitoring · Wastewater collection systems · Smart water metering · Corrosion monitoring & infrastructure sensing
Renewable energy
Monitoring technologies supporting offshore wind, solar, hydropower, wave & tidal energy
HOW WE CAN HELP
Three ways to move your business forward.
BlueTech consulting for companies and investors at the decisions that shape growth, investment, and commercialization.
EXPERTISE IN PRACTICE
What does the work look like?
Explore examples across growth strategy, commercial due diligence and innovation—from focused projects to ongoing advisory relationships.
Strategy & growth
Define where to compete, why customers should choose you, and how to reach them. Turn technical strengths into a practical commercial plan.
- Strategic planning & execution
- Value propositions, business models & market positioning
- Business development, sales & distribution
01
FOR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
Due diligence & market research
Understand the market behind the technology. Commercial subject matter expertise in BlueTech to assess market opportunities, growth assumptions, and ownership transitions.
- Commercial M&A due diligence
- Market & competitive assessment
- Customer needs & channel analysis
02
FOR BUYERS, SELLERS & INVESTORS
03
FOR FOUNDERS & INNOVATION PROGRAMS
Entrepreneurship & innovation
Help promising technology find its market. Commercial guidance, founder mentorship, and regional innovation ecosystem development.
- Customer discovery & value propositions
- Commercialization & go-to-market planning
- Founder mentorship & program support
- Stakeholder outreach & innovation ecosystem design
MEET CHRIS WARD
Experience on
both sides of
the instrument.
A practitioner’s understanding of the technology. An executive’s perspective on the business.
Led by Principal Consultant Chris Ward, Delawarde Consulting draws on 40 years of experience in field operations, instrumentation, sales and marketing, business development, and executive leadership. That experience connects technical capability with customer needs and business growth.
FIELD EXPERIENCE
NOAA Corps officer, including service aboard NOAA Ship RAINIER.
COMMERCIAL LEADERSHIP
Sales and marketing leadership followed by General Manager at SonTek; General Manager at Aanderaa; former Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at Xylem Analytics.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Executive in Residence with StartBlue at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, supporting founder mentorship and commercialization.
ECOSYSTEM DESIGN
Regional stakeholder outreach and reports informing innovation center planning at Seaport in San Diego and the economic case for the Maritime Innovation Center at Fishermen’s Terminal in Seattle.
LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT’S NEXT
A growth question.
A market decision.
A place to start.
Tell us what you’re working through.
San Diego, California
Supporting businesses across global markets
