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Executive Summary: Which are the Top 10 Maritime Startups & Companies?
- Ocean-Revive (Saudi Arabia): Offers carbon-negative concrete reef structures and AI-based monitoring for scalable coral reef restoration.
- Splash (US): Provides autonomous surface vessels for maritime security, harbor patrol, and offshore operations in communication-denied zones.
- Seaward Automation (US): Develops automated vessel systems for fuel, freshwater, and seawater management with remote monitoring and safety features.
- Seamo (Kenya): Builds an AI-powered ocean intelligence platform that analyzes underwater imagery to monitor marine species, habitats, and pollution.
- Anemo Robotics (Denmark): Offers an AI-driven underwater monitoring system that utilizes computer vision to assess biodiversity around offshore structures.
- Marine Weather Intelligence (France): Provides AI-based maritime routing and real-time weather hazard detection to improve sea safety and decarbonize transport.
- Hydro Flow Energy (UK): Creates a bidirectional, low-impact tidal power generator with real-time monitoring and steady energy output.
- ElectriFly (Italy): Makes magnetic levitation propulsion systems for marine vessels to enable frictionless, maintenance-free operations.
- Darkocean (UAE): Builds AI-based subsea navigation and hydrographic mapping systems for offshore, deep-sea, and seismic exploration.
- Remotecon (Canada): Provides edge-enabled marine sensors and power modules for autonomous deep-sea data collection and environmental monitoring.
Global Startup Heat Map highlights Emerging Maritime Startups to Watch in 2026
Through the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 7M+ startups, 20K+ technology trends, plus 150M+ patents, news articles & market reports, we identified 10 Maritime startups.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights emerging maritime startups you should watch in 2026, as well as the geo-distribution of maritime startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research.
According to our data, we observe high startup activity in the USA and the UK, followed by France. The top 5 Maritime Startup Hubs are London, Singapore, Dubai, Istanbul, and New York City.
Meet Emerging Maritime Startups to Watch in 2026
We hand-picked startups to showcase in this report by filtering for their technology, founding year, location, funding, and other metrics. These emerging maritime startups work on solutions ranging from vessel automation and ocean research tools to coral reef restoration and marine propulsion systems.
1. Ocean-Revive
- Founding Year: 2024
- Location: Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Use For: Coral Reef Restoration
Saudi Arabian startup Ocean-Revive restores coral reefs. It utilizes carbon-negative concrete to create artificial reef structures to provide stable surfaces for coral attachment and growth.
The startup uses modular reef tools and nurseries for coral propagation, transport, and outplanting. This allows faster, scalable, and targeted restoration. Moreover, an integrated real-time monitoring platform tracks coral health to enable adaptive restoration.
2. Splash
- Founding Year: 2024
- Location: Inglewood, California, USA
- Use For: Maritime Security
US-based startup Splash develops autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) for harbor patrols and coastal defense. The ASVs utilize sensors that operate autonomously in communication-denied areas.
They secure restricted areas surrounding refineries and military bases. The ASVs detect incoming vessels on maritime borders and safeguard critical assets, like oil rigs and shipping terminals.
They also automate commercial applications such as bathymetric surveys and offshore cargo deliveries. This enables continuous operations without human intervention.
3. Seaward Automation
- Founding Year: 2024
- Location: Durham, Connecticut, USA
- Use For: Vessel Automation
US-based startup Seaward Automation builds automation systems, Fuel Command, Water Command, and Sea Command, for sportfishing, commercial, recreational, and sailing vessels.
Fuel Command automates fuel management on vessels. It monitors pumps, valves, and tank levels for demand-based fuel transfer. Moreover, it incorporates sensors to detect anomalies in fuel levels and tank conditions. It also provides automatic shut-offs, overfill protection, and leak detection to prevent safety hazards. Further, it’s built-in fail-safe logic ensures adherence to maritime regulations.
The Water Command system manages fresh water on vessels. It automates potable water distribution and wastewater control to reduce manual handling and streamline usage reporting. It maintains safe water tank levels with dockside monitoring to offer real-time visibility and refill notifications. Additionally, it unifies freshwater system control across multiple vessels to improve resource management.
Further, Sea Command manages raw water systems on vessels. It automatically controls seawater accessory valves on sport fishing vessels and yachts to avoid the need for below-deck operator access. Incorporated sensors provide real-time feedback for maintaining the right pressure and flow. Additionally, it includes fail-safe features like automatic pump lead-lag, pressure sensors, and motorized distribution valves to detect potential issues in the raw water system early.
This way, the startup’s systems enable remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, and real-time visibility into vessel operations.
4. Seamo
- Founding Year: 2024
- Location: Nairobi, Kenya
- Use For: Ocean Research Tool
Kenyan startup Seamo offers an AI-powered ocean intelligence platform for marine conservation, exploration, and research. It leverages machine learning (ML) and computer vision to analyze underwater images and videos.
The platform identifies marine species to monitor fish stocks and endangered animals. It also assesses their habitats to recognize invasive threats in the environment. ML algorithms classify different habitats like coral reefs, seagrass beds, and kelp forests to track ecosystem health. The platform detects coral bleaching and diseases in the early stage and allows timely intervention.
Additionally, the platform detects waste and plastic debris to support targeted cleanup. The platform enables marine scientists, researchers, and conservationists to understand, monitor, and preserve marine biodiversity.
5. Anemo Robotics
- Founding Year: 2023
- Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
- Use For: Marine Biodiversity Monitoring
Danish startup Anemo Robotics provides AI-powered monitoring of marine life. The startup’s cameras leverage AI and computer vision to detect organisms underwater and capture high-resolution images.
They monitor ecosystem health and population changes around offshore man-made structures. Also, they identify different species in a given area down to the lowest taxonomic level. This enables researchers to measure the impact of wind farms on marine biodiversity.
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6. Marine Weather Intelligence
- Founding Year: 2023
- Location: Auray, France
- Use For: Marine Weather Analysis
French startup Marine Weather Intelligence develops a maritime routing and weather analysis web platform that enhances sea safety and operational efficiency. The platform selects the most accurate weather models based on a user’s location and forecast needs. It automatically detects extreme conditions like thunderstorms and hurricanes, and issues real-time safety alerts.
Thus, the startup’s platform quantifies the impact of weather variables on the boat performance. It then integrates this data into its innovative routing algorithms to ensure the vessels follow the safest, shortest, and most efficient paths across the sea.
7. Hydro Flow Energy
- Founding Year: 2024
- Location: Sandwich, UK
- Use For: Tidal Power Generator
UK-based startup Hydro Flow Energy builds a tidal power generator, TideMaster. It includes sensors, corrosion-resistant materials, and sealed systems. Moreover, TideMaster captures energy from ebb and flow tides to generate power in both tidal directions.
Its hydraulic system channels tidal movement and smooths out wave variations. This provides a steady power output despite tidal variations. Also, its software displays operational insights for real-time performance control.
Further, TideMaster operates without noise, carbon emissions, or seabed disruption. This way, it protects the marine ecosystem and offers an ocean-friendly alternative to conventional tidal generators.
8. ElectriFly
- Founding Year: 2025
- Location: Turin, Italy
- Use For: Marine Propulsion System
Italian startup ElectriFly makes magnetic levitation systems for marine propulsion. The company deploys active and passive magnetic suspensions to support rotating components in marine propulsion systems without physical contact.
This dual-magnetic approach facilitates frictionless operation as well as eliminates the need for lubrication and mechanical components like bearings and seals. Consequently, this approach minimizes maintenance and extends the operational lifespan of marine propulsion systems.
9. Darkocean
- Founding Year: 2022
- Location: Dubai, UAE
- Use For: Offshore Hydrography
Emirati startup Darkocean offers an AI-based navigation and positioning system for offshore hydrography, geophysical, and seismic surveys. It combines autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), sonar, and imaging systems to map seabeds and sub-seabeds. It deploys ultra-short baseline (USBL) systems for real-time tracking of subsea assets, and long baseline (LBL) positioning to triangulate the location of subsea receivers.
The system is independent of surface references, and this makes it suitable for mapping deep water, restricted, or hazardous areas. It also determines underwater depth, terrain, and features. The system analyzes tidal movements to showcase their impact on the marine ecosystem.
It supports satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) to explore shallow waters and coastal areas. Moreover, the system utilizes seismic waves to interpret subsurface layering, materials, and other geological structures and detect subsurface magnetic anomalies. This allows researchers, miners, and construction workers to better understand seafloor conditions, evaluate environmental risks, and plan marine operations.
10. Remotecon
- Founding Year: 2023
- Location: Dartmouth, Canada
- Use For: Smart Subsea Devices
Canadian startup Remotecon builds sensors and communication products for marine research and exploration. The modules use edge computing, AI, and machine learning to collect, process, and store vital environmental data.
The startup develops an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) module for remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). This enables operation without power disruptions. Further, the company’s predictive fuse offers bidirectional protection for subsea battery systems and regenerative loads.
The startup also offers a solar-powered data buoy that deploys sensors for real-time environmental insights. These devices enable autonomous surveillance and deep-sea monitoring in the defense, scientific research, oil and gas, energy, and aquaculture industries.
Discover All Emerging Maritime Startups
The maritime startups showcased in this report are only a small sample of all startups we identified through our data-driven startup scouting approach. Download our free Maritime Innovation Report for a broad overview of the industry or get in touch for quick & exhaustive research on the latest technologies & emerging solutions that will impact your company in 2025!