About Us
WE DEVELOPED A SIMPLE, REVOLUTIONARY PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY, EDDY VORTEX TECHNOLOGYTM (EVT), TO REPLACE THE 150-YEAR- OLD PROPELLER TECH FOUND ON EVERY VESSEL.
Maelstrom’s unrivaled technology makes boating more fun, more affordable, and safer. Maelstrom Props are drop-in replacements giving boat owners superior range, speed, and handling. Enjoy the world's toughest, most powerful and safest prop.
Our Team
Our team has a combined 90 years’ experience in tech development with ~100 patents in maritime and other sectors. We have filed international patents, and we are poised for production. Maelstrom is ready to boost the performance, reliability, and safety for every vessel afloat.
CHARLES “CHUCK” PELL, CEO / Founder / Ecopreneur:
Chuck Pell is an engineer, inventor, scientist, & Emmy-award-winning TV host with extensive experience in surgical robotics, biomechanics & functional morphology, fluid dynamics, miniature robotics, and autonomous underwater vehicles. He is an Ecopreneur on his fourth startup solving the world’s problems one brilliant idea at a time. He co-founded Physcient with the current Maelstrom team, who designed innovative surgical instruments: hand-held robotic smart tools that sense — and respond — to their environment, which includes the patient and their tissues, improving patient outcomes by anticipating and preventing tissue trauma through intelligent application of modern biomechanics. Chuck was Co-Founder and Director of Science & Technology at Nekton Research. At Nekton, the team developed MicroHunter, the world’s smallest autonomous underwater robot and other record-breaking ocean robotic systems. The company was acquired by iRobot. Nekton spawned a spin-out— Parata Systems— that remains the gold standard in pharmacy automation. Before Nekton, Chuck co-founded and served as Director of the Duke University Zoology BioDesign Studio. Prior to Duke, he was the Director of R&D at Dinamation, a firm that built full-size robotic dinosaurs. Fascinated by shape, pattern and flow, Chuck also builds boomerangs, paleolithic tools, catapults, and kayaks, and gives talks around the world, from TEDMED to TV.
Hugh Crenshaw, PHD, CBO:
Biologist and engineer with expertise in biomechanics (emphasis in fluid mechanics) and advanced instrumentation for biological research. Former Co-Founder and CEO at Physcient, Inc. (surgical instruments) and Director of Microsystems Technology at GlaxoSmithKline, where he led programs in microfluidics and automated physiological measurement. Previously served on faculty at Duke University (appointments in Biology and Engineering) where he led teams in cell mechanics, underwater robotics, optical instrumentation, and microfluidics.
Ruth Proctor, CPA CFO:
Ruth Proctor, CPA CFO: Financial professional that has worked with a broad array of startups and established companies in North Carolina, including Physcient, Inc. with Chuck, Hugh, and Ryan. Ruth is experienced in startup financing & governance, federal grant management & accounting, equity & debt financing, and M&A.
Ryan Moody, MSE, PE, CTO:
Mechatronics engineer with deep expertise and a long career of developing advanced robotic systems for maritime, aerospace, and transportation. Former CTO at Physcient, Inc. (surgical instruments) and Project Manager/Mechanical Engineer at iRobot’s Maritime Systems (previously Nekton Research, where he worked with Chuck and Hugh). At iRobot/Nekton, Ryan developed multiple high- speed and maneuverable robotic platforms to operate in a variety of challenging ocean environments for defense and civilian applications.
Susan Drake
Vice President of business development
Jess Forbes
strategic alliances specialist
Josh Haygood
video producer
