HARTFORD–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that ThayerMahan, based in Groton, has been named March’s “Innovator of the Month.” ThayerMahan is a maritime technology company which provides services and expertise to the maritime security, defense and intelligence, subsea infrastructure, offshore energy, living marine resources, and acoustic science sectors. Last year, they were selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium as one of fifteen projects to receive funding in support of the Biden administration’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.

“Over the last five years, ThayerMahan has quickly become an important player in Connecticut’s vibrant maritime economy. Their team is pioneering technology that will prove invaluable to the state’s investment in new offshore wind farms to ultimately help lower energy costs and reduce emissions. I look forward to seeing their continued growth and success in the state,” said Murphy.

“We are honored to be recognized by Senator Murphy. Connecticut is a great place to start and operate a maritime technology business. There is a highly skilled engineering work force in Southeastern Connecticut and a very positive business climate. The State of Connecticut helped us get started with loans from Connecticut Innovations, the state’s ‘venture capital arm.’  Connecticut Small Business Express Program was also vitally important in the early days. We’ve grown from 3 to 75 people. We are proud of our team of engineers and operators,” said Michael Connor, President and CEO of ThayerMahan. “We need more people and offer interesting jobs to people who can help us develop cutting edge technology in the fields of marine robotics, underwater acoustics, software engineering and artificial intelligence. Our growth will accelerate as the US offshore wind industry takes off in Southern New England and New York. We also stand to benefit as the Department of Defense learns to harness the efficiency of autonomous maritime vehicles and sensors. The Connecticut Congressional Delegation understands the importance of sustainable offshore energy and the need for a strong, efficient national defense.”

Murphy believes entrepreneurship and innovation are the building blocks for a strong economy. In the U.S. Senate, he has introduced two bipartisan pieces of legislation to incentivize angel investors to put more money into startup companies—the Angel Tax Credit Act and the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups (HALOS) Act. Startup companies create an average of 2 million jobs each year.

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