Meet The Inventors: Greg Sharrow of Sharrow Engineering and Sharrow Marine On How To Go From Idea To Launch

Everything had come full circle; I took an idea and developed this technology that revolutionized an industry I was told I had no place in and started an engineering firm.

As a part of our series called “Meet The Inventors”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Greg Sharrow.

Greg Sharrow is the co-founder, CEO, and President of Sharrow Engineering and Sharrow Marine and the inventor of the Sharrow™ Propeller. Founded in 2012, Sharrow Engineering holds over 125 patents worldwide and is the parent company for Sharrow Marine, a nautical engineering and manufacturing company that produces and sells the award-winning Sharrow™ Propeller for the maritime industry.

The original inspiration for the Sharrow™ Propeller came from Greg’s desire to eliminate unwanted noise that comes from drone blades so that he could develop an ultra-quiet drone for use in the entertainment industry where noise is a critical factor. By dramatically reducing or eliminating tip vortices, Greg was able to significantly reduce the noise that is produced by propellers, when compared to conventional blades. During the R&D and design process, Greg discovered many other advantages for the Sharrow™ Propeller across a range of applications and fluid densities.

This marked the beginning of the era of the Sharrow™ Propeller, which has since been hailed as the first major breakthrough in propeller technology since the 1830s. Greg and Sharrow Engineering’s achievements have been widely recognized, with the company being named CleanTech’s 2024 Clean Technology Transportation Solution of the Year and one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023. It was also a finalist for both Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2024 and Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards in 2023. In addition, Sharrow Engineering was the proud recipient of the 2022 Marine Power Innovation Award from Boating Magazine and the 2020 Miami International Boat Show Innovation Award, further cementing its position as an industry leader.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?

Thank you for having me. Growing up outside of Detroit, I was raised in a family of engineers. Both of my grandfathers spent their careers as engineers for GE, my father was an architect, and my uncle was a Naval Architect. Watching them tinker in the garage on weekends sparked my deep fascination for building and creating. You could always find me with the latest issue of Popular Mechanics stuffed in my backpack. This deep-rooted interest in design and development only thrived through my participation in Odyssey of the Mind. I was not only encouraged to experiment but wasn’t afraid to, and I learned the value of trial and error by doing projects of my own in our basement with my father and brother.

I learned many valuable lessons that I still hold on to today through some of these experiments, including the hovercraft I built catching fire in my seventh-grade shop class because I didn’t know that I needed to regulate the energy from the battery to the motor.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

‘People Define Results’. I firmly believe that you must assemble the right team and surround yourself with the brightest minds to achieve the results. A guiding/personal mantra that defines my work ethic and has been carried through and I use often with my team is ‘No False Deadlines.’ You create schedules to keep yourself on task, but sometimes you have to stray away from it. It’s important to remember that if you create the deadline yourself, you can change it, but you must be patient and develop at your own pace for the solution, not the schedule.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. What was the catalyst that inspired you to invent your product? Can you share the story of your “ah ha” moment with us?

I embarked on my engineering journey and received a degree in Classical Composition from Berklee College of Music. I spent many years in the entertainment industry, and the need for a near-silent drone to record classical music led me back to my childhood days of experimenting in the garage, building prototypes and my mechanical roots. I built over 640 prototypes and the most efficient way of testing my designs, was in the water. I then realized I had created something with so many other applications in other industries.

Everything had come full circle; I took an idea and developed this technology that revolutionized an industry I was told I had no place in and started an engineering firm.

The true “ah ha” moment came after years of development in stealth mode and patent filings when I could finally share my invention. The response I received from industry experts made me realize that I could bring the largest advance in propeller technology since the 1830s to life, and the potential of this innovation had the potential to change the world.

There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. How did you overcome this challenge?

People will always be quick to dismiss your idea, especially early on, and they will try their hardest to tear you down. I combatted this by focusing on the next step, not the journey. Today, entrepreneurs have a massive advantage over the big players in the space because we have the ability to pivot quickly, go rogue and be mailable along the way.

As I mentioned, I am a big believer in the idea that “people define results.” That is why we have assembled an elite group of engineers on our team with over 150 years of combined experience in the aeronautical, marine, and aerospace industries. Our engineers have worked for Fortune 500 companies and the military. Together, we have taken a clean slate approach to propeller design, building new analytical tools, software, optimization codes, parametrically controlled models, and new testing methodologies. Over the years, we have invested significantly in top talent and best-in-class computational tools.

Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?

We live in the beautiful age of the Internet, where it’s easier now than ever to search and find out if your idea has been done before. When I realized what I had created and the myriad of applications this could solve, I went straight to the internet and tried to find an example of its existence anywhere in the world, but I couldn’t find anything. Once I started the process with the patent attorneys, their first step was to perform an in-depth search to see if something in the world is similar to your idea and they couldn’t find anything. We quickly realized that I had stumbled upon something new — novel — and had the potential to disrupt an entire market that hadn’t seen any significant changes for decades.

Did you have a role model or a person who inspired you to persevere despite the hardships involved in taking the risk of selling a new product?

My biggest supporters have always been my family and my community. I am lucky enough to have grown up in a family of mechanically talented individuals who were able to see my invention, potential applications and benefits immediately.

For the benefit of our readers, can you share the story, and outline the steps that you went through, from when you thought of the idea, until it finally landed on the store shelves? In particular we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.

I have had the good fortune of having many wonderful mentors throughout this process, including Garrett Brown, the inventor of the Steadicam. After developing and perfecting the Sharrow Propeller with over 640 prototypes, Garrett introduced me to my patent attorney, which protected my work and enabled me to share it with people and find the right people — everyone from investors to industry experts and my core team.

My advice for finding the right manufacturing partner is to hone in on your vision first. You need to have a clear vision of your end product and the ability to communicate it. Embracing trial and error, doing it yourself, 3D printing, and additive manufacturing will help shape your vision. If you have a distinct idea of how it will function, the quality and materials of the finished product, and what you want the finished product to look like, then you can find the right manufacturing partner.

The early stages must have been challenging. Are you able to identify a “tipping point” after making your invention, when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

After years of development in stealth mode to protect the IP, there comes a point where you have to make your debut, or you risk being stuck in an eternal development loop. The “tipping point” for us was BoatTest’s reaction, where they shared, “Our testing and our investigation into the prop’s development has convinced us that there is a new prop design that not only excelled in our tests, but may well make many non-loop propellers obsolete.” I realized then that this technology will one day replace all existing propeller technology.

Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?

One of the cool things about being an inventor today is that anyone can pick up a 3d printer and teach themselves enough CAD to become a hobbyist manufacturer in their own bedroom. That’s exactly what I did initially, leading to the first few early designs to get a proof of concept. So embrace that technology, 3D printing, and additive manufacturing because it’s cheap and easy.

There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?

When considering whether to hire an invention development consultant or go solo with your idea, it’s crucial to maintain belief in yourself. Overcoming obstacles and ignoring naysayers can be challenging, but self-motivation is key. If you’re resilient and not easily discouraged, embarking on the development journey alone might be suitable. However, if you need assistance in gaining acceptance or navigating challenges, seeking input from potential customers before engaging a consultant could provide valuable insights and motivation.

What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?

Bootstrap all the way. Ownership and control over your vision and path is crucial for any founder, especially in the early stages. If you are working with a VC, you might lose control of the trajectory of your development.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

We have been on a mission to transform the marine propulsion industry and extend the benefits of our groundbreaking technology to various sectors beyond boating, leaving the world better than we found it.

You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, it would focus on ensuring cleaner oceans for generations to come. Our oceans are the lifeblood of our planet, providing vital resources, supporting diverse ecosystems, and offering endless recreational opportunities. However, they are facing unprecedented challenges from pollution, overfishing, and climate change. By rallying individuals, communities, governments, and industries together, we can implement sustainable practices, innovative technologies, and conservation efforts to protect and restore our oceans and safeguard the livelihoods of coastal communities for future generations to enjoy.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.