Sea Machines Robotics raises $10 million in venture funding

DECEMBER 17, 2018 – Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics reports that it has closed a $10 million Series A investment led by Accomplice VC and Eniac Ventures, with participation from Toyota AI Ventures; Brunswick Corp., through investment partner TechNexus Venture Collaborative; NextGen VP; Geekdom Fund; Launch Capital; LDV Capital and others.

The investment brings the total capital Sea Machines has raised to $12.5 millions. Sea Machines says it will use the funds to expand the sales and global reach of its recently released line of products, grow the R&D and engineering teams, roll out new product feature sets, and further the company’s lead in developing advanced situational awareness systems for vessels.

“We are creating the technology that propels the future of the marine industries. This investment enables us to double down on our commitment to building advanced command and control products that make the industry more capable, productive and profitable,” said Michael Gordon Johnson, founder and CEO, Sea Machines. “This backing is another signal that Sea Machines is the unquestioned leader in the space and is playing an integral role in the revolution of marine and maritime operations driven by technology.”

Sea Machines is currently developing advanced perception and navigation assistance technology for a range of vessel types, including containerships. In the first quarter, the company will initiate testing of its perception and situational awareness technology aboard one of A.P. Moller-Maersk’s new-build ice-class container ships.

In October, Sea Machines released its introductory line of autonomous command and remote control systems, developed for the demanding challenges of vessels serving the offshore commercial, scientific and government applications. The SM product series is available now and can be installed aboard existing or new-build commercial vessels with return on investment typically seen within a year.

“I think this investment sends a strong signal on the types of technologies that will come to define the maritime industry in the future,” said P. Michael A. Rodey, senior manager, A.P. Moller-Maersk.