Ann Carpenter is dedicated to building and fostering the global Blue Economy. She serves as an advisor to deep tech entrepreneurs in industries including ocean/maritime, transportation and goods movement, energy, and biotech. She 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. As co-founder and CEO of Braid Theory, Ann is responsible for strategic partnership building with public entities such as ports and utility agencies, and private industry. Ann serves on the boards of Ocean Exchange and Smart Freight Centre to further initiatives addressing global challenges and a more sustainable future. Her civic appointments include Chief Innovation Officer of the City of Los Angeles, Council District 15; and Commissioner of the County of Los Angeles Small Business Commission.

Braid Theory is a vertically integrated venture advisory which provides end-to-end services to support science and engineering-led companies. The firm incorporates a hybrid model of services to assist startups and scaleups based on proven methodology and rigor in evidence-based entrepreneurship, focused on three key aspects of commercialization: capability, capacity and intellectual capital.