Seasats Raises $20M to Scale Autonomous Surface Vehicles
Seasats, a maker of small uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), has raised a $20 million Series A funding round. The company's technology provides maritime autonomy for data collection and surveillance. The investment points to a convergence of vertical SaaS, robotics, and AI in the public sector and defense procurement markets.
- The $20 million Series A was led by Konvoy Ventures, with participation from Shield Capital, DNS Capital, and Techstars, among others. This brings the company's total funding to over $40 million. - Seasats has recently been awarded over $100 million in U.S. government contracts, including from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The company was also selected for the Department of War's Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program. - The global Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) market was valued at over $13 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to over $33 billion by 2032, driven by demand in defense, security, and research sectors. - Founded in 2020 by brothers Mike and Dan Flanigan, along with Dylan Rodriguez and Max Kramers, the San Diego-based company has roots in a 2011 project to send a small autonomous boat across the Atlantic. - Seasats' primary product is the Lightfish, a 3-meter-long, solar-powered USV designed for long-endurance missions of up to six months. It can be deployed by a few people from a beach and can carry up to 50 kg of payload, including cameras, sonar, and signals intelligence systems. - The Lightfish vehicle has successfully completed both trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic crossings, demonstrating its long-range capabilities for surveillance and data collection. - The company offers its vehicles through direct sales and a "Robotics-as-a-Service" model, providing a recurring revenue stream alongside hardware sales. - Key applications for Seasats' technology include intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), port security, coastal patrol, and hydrographic surveys for both government and commercial clients.
