Viable Gear
Reporting is clear and manageable – something that’s often a pain point with grants – but MTI strikes a great balance by keeping things streamlined while still maintaining strong oversight and due diligence. MTI is truly fantastic to work with!
–Katie Weiler, Founder & CEO, Viable Gear
With almost 400 million metric tons of plastic produced annually, plastic pollution is a public health crisis. It is harming our oceans, wildlife, soils, and human health. Industries like fishing, aquaculture, and agriculture depend on plastic today, making them major contributors to the problem—but they don’t have to be. With better material alternatives, these same industries could help lead the transition away from plastic pollution.
Founded in 2021, Viable Gear came up with a sustainable solution to help solve this problem and support these industries. “Viable Gear is addressing the global plastic pollution crisis at its source by replacing petroleum-based plastics with seaweed-based bioplastics that are safe for ocean, soil, and human health,” said Founder & CEO Katie Weiler.
Viable Gear gives people better options by offering sustainable technical gear to farmers on land and sea. Its innovative flagship product, SeaTwine, is a biodegradable bioplastic twine that breaks down into non-toxic compounds at the end of its lifespan.
Finding a Sustainable Solution
Growing up in Maine, the ocean was a big part of Weiler’s childhood. In 2020, she noticed more plastic in the ocean- specifically near one of the uninhabited islands her family visits. After researching ways to solve this problem, she founded Viable Gear. Fundamentally, Viable Gear’s products would replace petroleum-based plastics with its novel, seaweed-based bioplastic alternative.
MTI’s and Maine’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem’s Impact
Maine-based programs such as Maine Technology Institute (MTI), The Seafood Sprint with Gulf of Maine Ventures, The Hatchery at New England Ocean Cluster, and SBIR enabled Viable Gear to reach key business milestones including product development, testing, and refinement without immediate revenue pressure. With funding support from MTI, the company successfully pilot tested SeaTwine with Maine farmers. The valuable feedback received from these pilots facilitated SeaTwine’s current product design and development.
5
pilot trials of SeaTwine completed
2
full-time staff hired since 2023
100%
compostable twine made from seaweed
Impact on Marine Ecosystems, Wildlife, and Human Health
To date, Viable Gear has conducted five pilot trials of SeaTwine with farmers across Maine including ones from Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), University of Maine, and an independent farmer from Camden, Maine.
The company continues to grow its women-led team and has since hired two full-time staff members including Viable Gear’s Co-founder & COO and Senior Materials Scientist. Scaling the company allows it to continue its meaningful impact in the environmental and sustainability industry. Viable Gear is giving people a choice they have never had before; a choice to use materials that are safer for people and the planet.
A Cleaner Future
Viable Gear’s long-term vision is to become a global leader in the next generation of durable and sustainable materials. “Day to day we’re a team of badass women moving forward a solution that has the potential to change the world for the better,” Weiler said.
On their path to create a better future, the company will continue making products that work with the planet, not against it.
