Swiss robotics company Nautica Technologies raise €3.4 million for its underwater robots

Nautica Technologies, a Zurich-based robotics startup, has successfully raised €3.4 million to fuel the commercialisation of Nautica’s technology and support the first commercial deployments across customer fleets.

The round was led by b2venture, with participation from angel investors with backgrounds in shipping and robotics, as well as partners from Partners in Clime, Prequel Ventures, and Rethink Ventures.

“At Nautica, we’re transforming hull maintenance from a costly and reactive process to an automated, always-on system that enhances vessel performance while reducing environmental impact,” said Cédric Portmann, CEO and Co-founder of Nautica Technologies. “We’re happy to be backed by investors who believe in our mission to make shipping more sustainable and efficient. This investment marks an exciting step in bringing our technology to customers worldwide.”

Nautica Technologies is a robotics startup innovating hull maintenance in the shipping industry, it was founded in Switzerland in 2024 by Cédric Portmann (EPFL) and Mina Kamel (ETH Zurich), who bring together expertise in underwater and autonomous robotics.

Driven by a shared vision to tackle one of the shipping industry’s most significant challenges – hull maintenance – they sought to transform this multi-billion-euros challenge using robotics and innovative systems thinking.

Having remained fully bootstrapped until now, the founding team engineered, built, and tested their robots from the ground up, validating the technology in controlled environments, Swiss lakes, and currently in trials on maritime vessels trading globally.

The company’s mission is to combat biofouling and reduce fuel consumption through proactive, autonomous hull grooming robots.

Nautica’s technology uses a swarm of autonomous underwater robots that work together to continuously clean, inspect and maintain a vessel’s hull, preventing the buildup of marine growth before it affects the vessel’s efficiency.

Unlike traditional methods, which Nautica says are reactive or reliant on costly antifouling coatings & manual diver cleaning, Nautica’s robots reportedly offer consistent cleaning with minimal environmental impact.

Nautica Technologies solution is expected to deliver significant fuel savings, reduce GHG emissions and to improve regulatory compliance of vessels by minimising the risk of spreading invasive species.

“Nautica’s proprietary technology addresses a critical challenge in the shipping industry, and their approach aligns perfectly with the growing demand for automation and sustainability in global supply chain operations. We are generally excited for vertical robotics applications and Nautica especially has the potential to redefine how the maritime industry manages hull maintenance,” added Jan-Hendrik Bürk at b2venture.

The global maritime industry is under increasing pressure to decarbonise, optimise operations, and meet evolving regulations such as the IMO CII and EU ETS. According to data provided by Nautica, Biofouling remains a major challenge, increasing fuel consumption by up to 35% and contributing to billions of euros in costs annually.

With over 110,000 large vessels in operation worldwide and tightening climate regulations on the horizon, the demand for intelligent, proactive hull maintenance solutions is expected to grow rapidly.

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