• Home
  • Technology
    • Data Xplorer
    • Force12 Xplorer
    • Lighthouse Control
  • Applications
    • Case Studies
  • News
    • Updates
    • Press Releases
    • In the Media
    • Events
    • Newsletter
  • Careers
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Team
  • Contact
info@openoceanrobotics.com
Get our Latest Updates
Open Ocean RoboticsOpen Ocean Robotics
  • Home
  • Technology
    • Data Xplorer
    • Force12 Xplorer
    • Lighthouse Control
  • Applications
    • Case Studies
  • News
    • Updates
    • Press Releases
    • In the Media
    • Events
    • Newsletter
  • Careers
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Team
  • Contact

Open Ocean Robotics Completes $4M Seed Funding Round

Open Ocean Robotics Completes $4M Seed Funding Round

Open Ocean Robotics Completes $4M Seed Funding Round

December 3, 2021

VICTORIA, BC, December 3, 2021 – Open Ocean Robotics completed a $4M round of seed financing to advance its marine robotics and ocean data analytics platform. This included a $2.8M non-dilutive investment from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and $1.2M from a syndicate of international investors including Rhiza Capital and Cindicates.

This funding enables the company to accelerate the development of its solar powered autonomous uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) technology and ocean data analytics platform for maritime monitoring.

“Access to better and timely data is essential for understanding and protecting the ecosystems that comprise our oceans,” said Leah Lawrence, President and CEO of SDTC. “SDTC is proud to support Open Ocean Robotics in the development of their solar-powered, uncrewed surface vehicles. These emission-free vehicles offer decision makers the information they need as they look to conserve marine biodiversity and understand the impacts of climate change on oceans. As a graduate of SDTC’s Seed Fund, we are proud to continue our partnership with this Canadian cleantech company as they grow and take their operations to the next level.”

“We are delighted to have the support and recognition of SDTC and our investors for our technology to advance ocean monitoring,” said Julie Angus, CEO, Open Ocean Robotics.  “This will accelerate the development of our solar powered autonomous boats and real-time data analytics systems to help transform how we understand and protect our oceans.”

“We saw in Open Ocean Robotics an incredible opportunity to support an impact venture in British Columbia that had the potential and commitment to further a number of the Sustainable Development Goals both locally and internationally,” said John Sutherland, CEO of Rhiza Capital. “Further, we believe that the technology developed by Open Ocean Robotics will go a long way in improving our ability to safeguard the health of our oceans, which are vital to the wellbeing and prosperity of coastal communities such as ours. We are delighted to be partners in their journey as they continue to refine and scale their ocean monitoring technologies for the betterment of the world.”

Open Ocean Robotics’ proprietary USVs collect ocean data using a suite of advanced sensors and AI processing for months at a time, in remote ocean regions and extreme sea states.  This ocean monitoring is used by industry, governments and researchers for illegal fishing enforcement, environmental monitoring, marine mammal monitoring and security applications. Difficulties with current monitoring solutions lead to a range of environmental challenges which results in 30% of fish illegally caught every year costing $23 billion, marine mammal populations endangered by ship strikes and noise pollution, and fish stocks at the risk of collapse, jeopardizing our oceans and those who depend on it for sustenance. This technology will benefit the entire ocean ecosystem through protecting marine mammal populations, fish stocks and the ecosystem, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental risks from current monitoring solutions, which depend primarily on ships and aircrafts, by providing an emission-free monitoring solution.

About Sustainable Development Technology Canada
Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) helps Canadian companies develop and deploy competitive, clean technology solutions, to help solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges: climate change, clean air, clean water and clean soil. By taking a cross-Canada approach, from seed to scale, and in partnership with best peers and experts, SDTC is the global benchmark for sustainable development innovation programming.

About Open Ocean Robotics
Open Ocean Robotics is a marine robotics and software company providing autonomous data collection and analytics as a subscription and service. Using uncrewed solar-powered boats, they deliver real-time data analytics necessary to monitor, protect and operate on our ocean. These autonomous boats stay on the ocean for months at a time continuously monitoring the environment for risks to marine life and maritime security. This provides a critical solution for safeguarding marine protected areas (MPAs), protecting marine mammals and securing waters from crime including illegal fishing, smuggling, human trafficking and threats to critical infrastructure. As a leader in marine robotics and data analytics with proprietary technology in autonomous vessel design, machine learning, and software development, as well as proprietary datasets of ocean conditions, sounds and images, Open Ocean Robotics is able to provide an unparalleled level of ocean insights.

For more information please contact:
Karoline Monkvik, Office Operations Manager at Open Ocean Robotics, info@openoceanrobotics.com or visit https://openoceanrobotics.com where you can find more resources on uncrewed surface vehicles.

Share

You also might be interested in

Open Ocean Robotics has been awarded the Company of the Year Award!

Open Ocean Robotics has been awarded the Company of the Year Award!

Jul 6, 2022

Announcing ventureLAB’s 2021 AGM Award Recipients | ventureLAB  Each year,[...]

Julie Angus Featured in Lexus Commercial Sharing Her Strategies for Success
Julie Angus shares her strategies with Les Stroud

Julie Angus Featured in Lexus Commercial Sharing Her Strategies for Success

Sep 12, 2018

Julie had the opportunity to chat with Les Stroud (AKA[...]

Open Ocean Robotics Named to “Ready to Rocket” Cleantech List of Emerging BC Technology Companies

Open Ocean Robotics Named to “Ready to Rocket” Cleantech List of Emerging BC Technology Companies

Apr 15, 2020

Open Ocean Robotics made a list of British Columbia (BC) CleanTech companies with the greatest potential for growth.

Connect on Social Media

Latest News

  • Open Ocean Robotics has been awarded the Company of the Year Award!
  • Data-Collecting Ocean Drone Can Operate for Months in the Ocean
  • Open Ocean Robotics Completes $4M Seed Funding Round
  • Open Ocean Robotics wins Campbell River’s’ NexStream 2.0 Wild Card Challenge!
  • From Hunting Poachers to Searching for Whales: A Year in Review at OOR
  • Open Ocean Robotics CEO Julie Angus wins Industry Icon Award at the 2021 BC Cleantech Awards
  • Open Ocean Robotics Awarded Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label – An award for profitable solutions to protect the environment
  • Open Ocean Robotics Wins Spot in Offshore Wind Challenge to Create Marine Mammal Monitoring Solution
  • Open Ocean Robotics CEO Joins Innovation Advisory Board for NATO Maritime Unmanned Systems Initiative
  • Open Ocean Robotics Among Latest Cohort to Graduate Halifax’s Creative Destruction Lab

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • July 2022
    • December 2021
    • July 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • June 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • January 2020
    • June 2019
    • January 2019
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017

    Categories

    • Media
    • News
    • pressrelease

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org

    Contact Us

    Send us an email and we'll get back to you soon.

    Send Message

    News Updates

    • Open Ocean Robotics has been awarded the Company of the Year Award!
    • Data-Collecting Ocean Drone Can Operate for Months in the Ocean
    • Open Ocean Robotics Completes $4M Seed Funding Round

    Contact Us

    • Open Ocean Robotics
    • 4476 Markham Street, #2L, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8Z 7X8
    • 250-580-2628
    • info@openoceanrobotics.com
    • https://openoceanrobotics.com

    connect on social media

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter

    © 2022 · Open Ocean Robotics.

    Prev Next