Nautical And Marine Startups See Stepped-Up Funding

What happened

Considering that more than 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by water, one might expect nautical- and marine-focused startups would capture more than just a pittance of venture investment. Over the past year, venture backers have poured close to $3 billion into good-sized rounds for marine-related startups in sectors ranging from defense tech to clean energy, per Crunchbase data.

Top areas for investment include autonomous sea vessels, water robots, electric watercraft, and ocean data. But more recently, startup investors are putting more capital to work around these themes. Lead fundraisers A single company — Saronic — accounts for most of the past year’s haul.