Polaris Tech Bridge was proud to sponsor this year’s Providence Business News’ Summit for Emerging Industries on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. This summit highlights emerging sectors, transformative technologies, and the collaborations and breakthroughs shaping the state’s next wave of economic growth.
Polaris Tech Bridge’s own maritime and industry engagement manager, Linda Larsen, took part in the first panel of the day focused on the blue economy, offshore wind, and maritime technology and how Rhode Island is uniquely suited for these industries.
“Our identity, as Rhode Island, is the place where you come, test, validate, and scale your technology. We’ve got the people and we have the resources. Our identity needs to be that infrastructure piece and ecosystem piece, and if we build that and work upon the great work that we have already done, that’s going to be our attraction for businesses to come to Rhode Island,” commented Linda Larsen.
Other panelists agreed, including Ben Sorkin, the CEO of Flux Marine, who added that he hopes Rhode Island will become known as the other state “by the bay,” as Rhode Island’s geographical features make it a stand-out for those interested in maritime technology.
Speaking as to Polaris Tech Bridge’s collaboration with other Rhode Island institutions and its importance, Linda added, “We (Polaris Tech Bridge) are uniquely positioned to support Rhode Island and the blue economy by focusing on those non-traditional businesses, companies with dual-use technologies, by supporting and bringing together government and academia. We are also unique in that we support large in-border demonstration efforts, such as BlueTIDE. We even have companies from other countries who contact us to be part of the event.”
The Summit concluded on a positive note, echoing the sentiments from the other panelists that Rhode Island’s emerging industries are its future and will enable further economic success.