Father-daughter entrepreneurs Bill Smith ’78 (BUS) and Lindsay Smith are both experienced boaters who love a day of adventure on Long Island Sound or cruising on the ocean.
But an exhilarating day on the water can leave boating enthusiasts dehydrated because of a combination of heat, sun, and wind. To combat it, they’ve created SEAWELL, a sparkling, non-alcoholic juice drink with essential electrolytes, a crisp taste, and only 40 calories per can.
“We wanted something that was craveable and enjoyable, a premium beverage crafted in New England for the boating lifestyle that can refresh and replenish the whole crew,’’ says Lindsay, the company CEO.
Beverage Company is One of Five in Wolff Competition
SEAWELL is one of five UConn-affiliated startups participating in the Wolff New Venture Competition on Oct. 13 at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.
Now in its 11th year, the Wolff competition is hosted by the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI). The competition will award more than $150,000 in prize money, including $40,000 for the first-place finisher. This year’s event will honor Bette Wolff, who passed away in June. She and her husband, Thomas John Wolff ’56 (BUS), created the competition that bears their name.
During the event, the Smiths will be sharing samples of their beverage, which now comes in two flavors: Seabright Citrus (orange, lime, and coconut) and Tropical Wave (pineapple, mango, and coconut).
The U.S. beverage market, encompassing the retail and food-service industries, reached $490 billion in sales in 2025, according to Circana, a market-research and tech company.
At the same time, the demand for non-alcoholic beverages is surging, says Bill, who majored in marketing at UConn and is the company’s COO. Consumers have greatly reduced their alcohol consumption over the last 40 years, and that change is most pronounced among younger adults. That dovetails with the increased interest in selecting foods and beverages that are healthy.
Duo Tapped Experts at UConn, Cornell, and Tennessee to Craft Their Beverage
Both Lindsay and Bill brought tremendous business expertise to their endeavor.
Bill has a background in marketing, strategy, and managing brands and business unit divisions at large companies, including Sterling Drug, Eastman Kodak, and Hewlett-Packard. In addition to his UConn degree, he has an MBA from the University of Texas.
Lindsay has worked in sales management and consumer marketing for more than 14 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Babson College, followed by an MBA at the University of Tennessee. She returned to Stonington for the venture, and the opportunity to work alongside her dad.
“We are both used to working with big companies that have lots of funds. To run a small business, you have to be quick, know when to pivot and surround yourself with people who know more than you do,’’ Lindsay says.
To differentiate themselves in the market, Bill and Lindsay turned to academic experts to help them develop their beverages. They worked with professor Jennifer Fields of UConn’s Department of Nutritional Sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR), to create a beverage that would enhance hydration. They also turned to experts at Cornell’s Food Venture Center to develop their prototypes. And the University of Tennessee offered panels of taste-testers, in a blind study sensory panel, who gave SEAWELL a 92% approval rating. Completely unprompted, a large percentage of the drink tasters said they would enjoy SEAWELL on a boat.
CCEI Summer Accelerator Created a ‘Success Mindset’
As part of their business journey, Bill and Lindsay participated in CCEI’s eight-week Summer Accelerator, which helped get their company off on the right foot. Bill says the program provided the structure and rigor they needed to evaluate their business model.
“The instructors are very, very good,’’ he says. “The caliber and the quality of the curriculum, the knowledge of the speakers, and the expertise in accounting, law, and marketing all helped us create a fundamental base for success and the mindset to succeed with our own business.’’
“We credit UConn for our acceleration and momentum,’’ Bill says. “The instructors were very demanding and wanted us to get it right and to be receptive to feedback. We’ve made 50 ‘course corrections’ to our product over the past year. Today, we are very optimistic about what we’ve created.’’
If they win the Wolff grand prize, Lindsay and Bill say the award money will go toward production, with the official product launch slated for next spring. They plan to debut SEAWELL in the Mystic area. Their ocean-blue can features the Connecticut shoreline and includes a bit of the company’s history. It also includes a QR code for feedback, as the founders want to create a company that is responsive to its customers.
“I’m proud of the work that we’ve done at SEAWELL, and my Dad and I are very excited to get it into people’s hands—and onto their boats,’’ Lindsay says.
The Wolff New Venture Competition will be held on Oct. 13 at Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford from 5 to 9 p.m. The event is free to attend and all are welcome. Pre-registration is required at https://luma.com/i2690pqa.
The Wolff New Venture Competition is supported by the generosity of the Wolff Family as well as wiggin(x), Fiondella, Milone & LaSaracina LLP, Sardilli Produce and Dairy Co., Prime Materials Recovery Inc., Big Bang, Baystate Financial, Webster Bank, Mark and Jamie Summers, Putnam Plastics, Eric Marziali, Bob and Linda Delisle, Dick and Carol Stewart and Event Resources.
