Our Team

Ocean Exchange Team

Ann Carpenter

CEO, Co-founder of Braid Theory

Ann Lee Carpenter brings more than 30 years of experience in strategic planning, marketing, business development, and community outreach in private industry, nonprofit organizations, and as an entrepreneur.

She has served as an advisor, coach, and mentor to entrepreneurs in industries including transportation and goods movement, clean tech, energy, and marine/ocean tech. As co-founder and CEO of Braid Theory, Ann is primarily responsible for partnership building with public entities including ports, utilities and transportation agencies; and private industry. Braid Theory, a strategic consulting firm, connects technology entrepreneurs with industry to build opportunities for market traction and growth.

Ann’s areas of expertise also include grant and proposal writing, fundraising, event production, executive training, communication and PR. As Director of Marketing for PortTech Los Angeles, she built the brand identity and led outreach efforts to connect entrepreneurs to market opportunities. Ann began her career as a software programmer in the aerospace industry. After rising to Director of Strategic Planning at the Lockheed Corporation Information Systems Group, Ann left the corporate world to build S’Pacific Image, a graphic design and marketing agency. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Michigan – Dearborn.

Contact Us

Ocean Exchange invites you to learn more about Awards Program, our ecosystem and success of our award winners and participants. Together, we can chart a powerful course to help ensure the future of our oceans and the Blue Economy.

“Ocean Exchange has a platform to enable people with information that they need to know about the ocean and then to showcase new technologies that are on the forefront of really helping the ocean and the planet.”

“The quality of the content and the people who are involved with Ocean Exchange is all high end.”

“Besides funding, Ocean Exchange provides access to a wide area network of incredibly talented people in organizations that really do just want to help people.”

“Ocean Exchange is really about helping the little guys grow and in so doing, helping the big guys be better ocean citizens.”

“Ocean Exchange seems to be much more focused on bringing to light under-capitalized, wonderful new technology ideas. And it’s all about two-way access to this new technology and to the people who can help with the experience to grow that technology.”

“Ocean Exchange is a force multiplier to enable sustainable innovation.”

“Ocean Exchange is a global, novel innovation forum that has a greater ability to attract a broader range of impactful stakeholders than any other event that’s out there.”

“Unquestionably, one of Ocean Exchange’s primary strengths is how it brings together people from different paths. That makes its event a delegator experience as well as experience for an innovator or awards nominee.”

“Ocean Exchange is entirely different from any of the other organizations that I’m involved in. It is about sustainable innovation. I think it’s also very different in the extremely broad range of stakeholders that it involves.”

“There’s nothing better than going to an event or engaging with people so you walk away and say, ‘Wow!’”