How propeller inventor Greg Sharrow taps into Michigan’s startup ecosystem

Ever listen to classical music to get the creative juices flowing? The origin story of Detroit-based startup Sharrow Marine is a little bit like that.

CEO and founder Greg Sharrow graduated from Berklee College of Music and spent over 15 years as an executive producer and director in the music industry. He worked for a time broadcasting orchestra performances, and it was in this role that the seeds of the propeller manufacturer were planted.

“I began developing the systems that were used to broadcast them, and thinking of new, cool ways to film orchestras,” Sharrow told us during a media event at startup accelerator Newlab Detroit in April. “I was directing a concert one night with one of the systems I designed, and I wanted to get a shot that I couldn’t get from any of the other cameras in the hall.”

He thought that a drone would be able to get the shot, but knew it would be too noisy because of the propeller. “I just asked myself, what would a tipless propeller look like and how would it function?”

He ruminated on this question, and, while walking his dog, came up with an idea that would lead to what Sharrow Marine touts as the first major breakthrough in propeller technology in nearly 200 years. What followed was eight years of R&D work and then, in 2020, the launch of Sharrow’s flagship propeller, with tech that the company claims delivers up to 30% greater fuel efficiency and 80% less noise than traditional designs.

Now, with over $39 million raised to date by its marine division, per PitchBook, a new production facility, and some help from automaker Ford and Newlab Detroit’s ecosystem, Sharrow is preparing to significantly ramp up manufacturing as it races to meet demand.

“There are 2 million outboard propellers sold a year,” Greg Sharrow said. “Our goal is to make enough to replace everything in the outboard world and above.”

In motion

Though Sharrow initially took a different path, engineering is in his DNA. His brother, father, uncles, and grandfathers have backgrounds in engineering and architecture.

“I think it was a gene that maybe I was avoiding…and focusing all that energy on creative endeavors, but it definitely kicked into high gear that day when I was on a walk with my dog, and I never went back,” he said.

The skills he honed while producing and directing have translated to the marine industry, he said, because ultimately his job comes down to finding people with the right skill sets and bringing them together to solve problems.

“You put great people together and great things happen,” he said. “That’s what I’ve taken with me from my prior career to this one, and it’s helped in a big way.”

Sharrow started small with his propeller, initially making a prototype out of duct tape and reaching out to his existing network for help. Eventually he contacted the University of Michigan to test his designs there; he went on to try nearly 650 prototypes before landing on the right design.

Once the tech was ready for production, Sharrow said he traveled the world trying to find a place to build propellers—before ending up in his native Metro Detroit. There, the startup joined Newlab Detroit, moved its headquarters to the campus of innovation hub Michigan Central, and forged a relationship with Ford.

Spinning faster

Sharrow announced in April that it’s working with Ford’s Advanced Industrial Technology & Platforms team to scale and speed up production of its propeller. The collaboration will give the company access to “advanced 3D sand-casting techniques,” per a news release. Traditional investment casting would take as long as 130 days, according to the company, while this process yields results in about two weeks.

The collaboration with Ford is crucial, Sharrow said, because scaling production has been the company’s “biggest challenge” to date.

“The role that Ford is playing right now in scaling our production is really beyond words. The magnitude is so incredible,” he said. “And I don’t know how that connection would have been made without being part of this ecosystem.”

The Sharrow and Ford teams worked together for nine months to adapt Sharrow’s designs to the sand-casting process.

“Sharrow is exactly the kind of company we’re here to support—an innovator with proven technology and growing demand,” Carolina Pluszczynski, Michigan Central’s acting CEO, said in a statement. “It is incredible to see how Sharrow has scaled since joining our ecosystem. They have leveraged the prototyping labs here, found talent to grow their team, and expanded their footprint.”

The startup has leaned into the Michigan Central network to find manufacturing talent. Next, Sharrow plans to tap into Newlab Detroit’s prototyping capabilities.

In addition to serving the marine industry, Sharrow says that its propeller tech has applications in the defense, aerospace, HVAC, and renewable energy sectors, including for products like pumps and industrial fans.

Late last year, the company expanded from 18,000 square feet of production space to 60,000. The company is working to ramp up production to 3,000 units a month, a goal Sharrow expects to meet in the next year or two. Even then, he said, the company won’t be able to keep up with demand.

“There hasn’t been a major innovation in the propeller industry in such a long time, and this thing looks so different from a standard prop—it gets a ton of attention,” Sharrow said. “So we find ourselves responding to and reacting to inbound requests, more than we find ourselves trying to find business.”