VCs funding ocean tech: 15 investors closing deals in 2026

Ocean tech is finally getting serious funding. The sector pulled in over $2B in 2025, mostly going to autonomous vessels, ocean data platforms, and sustainable aquaculture. These 15 investors closed deals in the last 18 months and understand maritime businesses.

Quick list

Finding investors who actually understand ocean tech

Maritime experience: Look for investors who've backed at least three ocean companies. Most generalist VCs don't understand harbor regulations or vessel certification timelines. They'll panic when your pilot takes 18 months instead of 6. If you’re working with a mission-driven venture, consider whether they truly understand how a nonprofit model behaves in ocean environments.

Industry connections: Ask if they can intro you to shipping companies, port authorities, or NOAA contacts. Ocean tech needs pilot customers with real budgets. VC brand names don't matter if they can't open doors at Maersk or the Navy. When sharing sensitive briefs, reinforce access limits with reliable password protection.

Stage alignment: Seed ocean tech investors understand hardware development cycles. Growth investors often don't get why you need $2M for a single ocean trial. Aquaculture funds get biological timelines. Maritime robotics funds understand certification costs. Many founders overlook data-sharing risks in this stage, so avoid common GDPR mistakes when circulating technical documents.

Portfolio outcomes: Check if their ocean companies hit commercial deployment. Lots of funds back ocean startups that never leave R&D. Dead pilot programs are a red flag. Use Ellty to share your deck with trackable links. You'll see who actually opens your unit economics vs. your impact slides.

Realistic timelines: Impact investors sometimes expect ocean restoration returns in 24 months. That's not how kelp farming or coral restoration works. Make sure they've funded companies with 5+ year commercialization paths. Ask their portfolio founders about pressure to pivot when biological or maritime timelines hit reality. When your deck gets heavy, you can streamline updates instead of sending large PDF files repeatedly.

Regulatory knowledge: Ocean startups deal with maritime law, environmental permits, and international waters regulations. Investors who've navigated FDA approvals won't help with IMO certification. Generic "we have regulatory experts" answers are useless without specific maritime experience.

Reaching ocean tech investors in 2026

Research recent maritime deals: Check Pitchbook for ocean tech investments from Q3 2025 onwards. Climate tech funds won't lead your maritime robotics round. Aquaculture investors rarely back ocean data platforms. Stage matters more than sector proximity. When following up, refine your materials the same way you’d send a pitch deck to an enterprise client - clear, concise, and tailored.

Show deployment traction: Ocean investors want to see paying pilot customers or LOIs from shipping companies. Most are tired of sustainability impact projections without revenue. If you're pre-revenue, show signed MOUs with actual maritime operators, not generic corporate innovation labs.

Track investor engagement: Upload to Ellty and send trackable links. Monitor which pages investors spend time on. If they skip your go-to-market timeline, they probably don't understand maritime sales cycles. That's useful information before you waste time on calls.

Use maritime networks: Message founders from portfolio companies on LinkedIn. Ask about response times and whether the VC actually helped with commercial partnerships. Most will be honest about investor value-add in ocean tech specifically.

Attend ocean tech conferences: Oceanology International, Ocean Business, and Blue Tech Week are where deals happen. The Marine Tech Summit in Amsterdam connects European investors. Skip generic climate tech events where ocean is one small track.

Connect strategically online: LinkedIn works after a warm intro from a portfolio founder. Cold DMs to ocean investors rarely work unless you have exceptional metrics. Join the Katapult Ocean or Blue Impact network groups if you're accepted into their programs.

Prepare due diligence materials: Set up an Ellty data room with your financial model, cap table, and any pilot agreements before investors ask. Include certifications, environmental permits, and partnership LOIs. Maritime deals take longer, so organized materials speed things up.

Lead with commercial traction: Start calls with pilot customer names and contract values. Don't spend 15 minutes on ocean plastic statistics investors have seen 200 times. They want to know who's paying you to test your technology and what the expansion path looks like.

Why ocean tech funding matters in 2026

Ocean tech investment doubled from 2024 to 2025. Maritime decarbonization regulations kicked in, forcing shipping companies to find zero-emission solutions. The UN Ocean Decade pushed government funding toward ocean monitoring and restoration. Aquaculture is scaling because wild fish stocks can't meet protein demand.

Impact funds realized ocean carbon removal might actually work at scale. Blue economy startups raised $2.1B in 2025, with autonomous vessels and sustainable seafood taking the biggest chunks. Investors who ignored ocean tech in 2023 are now actively looking for deals.

15 top ocean tech investors

1. Oceantech Ventures

Early-stage ocean technology fund that actually understands maritime operations. They don't panic about 18-month vessel trials.

• Recent Deals: Ocean Infinity $150M Series C (2025), Sea Machines Robotics $10M (2024), Sofar Ocean $39M Series B (2022)
• LinkedIn: Oceantech Ventures
• Sector Focus: autonomous vessels, ocean data, maritime robotics, subsea systems
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: London, United Kingdom
• Website: oceantech.vc

2. Regeneration.VC

Impact fund focused on nature restoration that includes ocean and coastal projects. Portfolio companies do actual restoration work, not just carbon credits.

• Recent Deals: Urchinomics $4.5M seed (2025), Reefgen $2M seed (2024), Ocean Rainforest $8M Series A (2023)
• LinkedIn: Regeneration.VC
• Sector Focus: ocean restoration, kelp farming, sea urchin ranching, coral restoration
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Location: San Francisco, United States
• Website: regeneration.vc

3. BMW i Ventures

Corporate VC arm investing in maritime autonomy and electric propulsion. They have connections to shipping and logistics companies through BMW's supply chain.

• Recent Deals: Sea Machines Robotics $10M (2025), Whisker Labs $35M Series B (2024), ChargePoint $127M (2023)
• LinkedIn: BMW i Ventures
• Sector Focus: autonomous maritime systems, electric propulsion, maritime logistics
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, growth
• Location: Mountain View, United States
• Website: bmwiventures.com

4. The Helm

Ocean-focused fund that backs kelp farming and blue carbon projects. They understand biological growth timelines and don't expect quarterly SaaS metrics.

• Recent Deals: Running Tide $8.5M Series A (2025), GreenWave $5M (2024), Atlantic Sea Farms $3.5M (2023)
• LinkedIn: The Helm
• Sector Focus: kelp farming, regenerative aquaculture, ocean carbon removal, seaweed products
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Location: Portland, United States
• Website: thehelm.co

5. Katapult Ocean

Accelerator and fund specifically for ocean impact startups. They run cohorts and provide actual maritime industry connections, not generic startup advice.

• Recent Deals: Invested in 12 companies in 2025 cohort including Clearbot, Urchinomics, and Neptune Robotics
• LinkedIn: Katapult Ocean
• Sector Focus: ocean cleanup, sustainable fishing, ocean monitoring, blue economy
• Stage Focus: pre-seed, seed
• Location: Oslo, Norway
• Website: katapultocean.com

6. TO Ventures

Climate tech fund with multiple ocean data and maritime investments. They get that ocean monitoring requires patient capital and hardware development.

• Recent Deals: Saildrone $100M Series C (2025), Sofar Ocean $39M Series B (2022), Ocean Networks Canada partnerships (2024)
• LinkedIn: TO Ventures
• Sector Focus: ocean data, maritime autonomy, climate monitoring, marine sensors
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: San Francisco, United States
• Website: to.vc

7. Lowercarbon Capital

Climate fund backing ocean carbon removal projects at scale. They understand the difference between lab results and actual ocean deployment.

• Recent Deals: Running Tide $35M (2025), Captura $12M (2024), Ebb Carbon $20M Series A (2023)
• LinkedIn: Lowercarbon Capital
• Sector Focus: ocean carbon removal, kelp farming, ocean alkalinity enhancement, blue carbon
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: San Francisco, United States
• Website: lowercarboncapital.com

8. Bread and Butter Ventures

Agtech fund that backs aquaculture technology and sustainable seafood. They have connections to food companies and understand aquaculture unit economics.

• Recent Deals: Jala Tech $13M Series A (2025), Aquaconnect $4M (2024), XpertSea $11M Series A (2022)
• LinkedIn: Bread and Butter Ventures
• Sector Focus: aquaculture technology, shrimp farming, fish farm monitoring, sustainable seafood
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Location: Lafayette, United States
• Website: breadandbutterventures.com

9. Planet A Ventures

European climate tech fund investing in ocean-based materials and sustainable alternatives. Portfolio includes seaweed packaging and ocean plastic solutions.

• Recent Deals: Notpla €13M (2025), Oceanium €5.5M (2024), B'ZEOS €2.8M seed (2023)
• LinkedIn: Planet A Ventures
• Sector Focus: seaweed packaging, ocean materials, marine biotech, plastic alternatives
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Website: planet-a.com

10. SJF Ventures

Impact investor backing maritime robotics and subsea technology. They understand offshore energy connections and have portfolio companies in subsea inspection.

• Recent Deals: Nauticus Robotics $28M (2025), Houston Mechatronics $20M (2024), various maritime tech companies
• LinkedIn: SJF Ventures
• Sector Focus: subsea robotics, maritime inspection, offshore energy tech, underwater systems
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, growth
• Location: Durham, United States
• Website: sjfventures.com

11. Aqua-Spark

Dedicated aquaculture fund with global portfolio of fish and seaweed farming companies. They actually understand fish health, feed conversion ratios, and biological cycles.

• Recent Deals: Seaforestation €1.5M seed (2025), Seawater Solutions $2M (2024), ViAqua $15M Series B (2023)
• LinkedIn: Aqua-Spark
• Sector Focus: seaweed farming, sustainable aquaculture, fish farming tech, alternative seafood
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
• Website: aqua-spark.nl

12. Future Positive Capital

Australian impact fund investing in regenerative ocean farming and blue economy solutions. Strong Asia-Pacific network for ocean tech deployment.

• Recent Deals: GreenWave $5M (2024), PhycoHealth $8M Series A (2023), various APAC ocean startups
• LinkedIn: Future Positive Capital
• Sector Focus: regenerative ocean farming, ocean restoration, sustainable aquaculture, seaweed
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Location: Sydney, Australia
• Website: futurepositive.capital

13. Khosla Ventures

Tier-1 fund that occasionally backs ocean tech when economics make sense. Led Tidal's Series A (Google's fish farming automation spinout).

• Recent Deals: Tidal Series A (2024), various climate and automation companies with ocean applications
• LinkedIn: Khosla Ventures
• Sector Focus: aquaculture automation, maritime AI, ocean monitoring when commercially viable
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Menlo Park, United States
• Website: khoslaventures.com

14. Energy Impact Partners

Utility-backed fund investing in maritime decarbonization and zero-emission shipping. They connect startups to shipping companies and ports through their LP network.

• Recent Deals: C-Job Naval Architects $22M (2025), various maritime propulsion and green shipping companies
• LinkedIn: Energy Impact Partners
• Sector Focus: zero-emission shipping, maritime decarbonization, port electrification, alternative fuels
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, growth
• Location: San Francisco, United States
• Website: energyimpactpartners.com

15. Blue Impact Ventures

Southeast Asian ocean tech fund focused on coastal protection and marine conservation technology. Good network in Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia.

• Recent Deals: Clearbot $5M Series A (2025), various ASEAN ocean monitoring and cleanup companies
• LinkedIn: Blue Impact Ventures
• Sector Focus: ocean cleanup, marine conservation tech, coastal protection, sustainable fishing
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Location: Singapore, Singapore
• Website: blueimpact.vc

Track which investors actually read your deck

These 15 investors closed ocean tech deals from 2025 to early 2026. Before reaching out, set up proper tracking so you know who's actually interested.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your financials. Most ocean tech founders are surprised to learn investors skip their ocean impact slides but spend 5+ minutes on customer acquisition costs and pilot economics. If an investor doesn't open your deck within 48 hours, they're probably not interested.

When investors ask for more materials, share an Ellty data room instead of email attachments. Your cap table, financial model, pilot agreements, and environmental permits in one place with view analytics. You'll know if they actually reviewed your unit economics before the next call.

Common questions

How do I know if an ocean tech investor is still active?

Check Pitchbook or Crunchbase for deals in the last 12 months. If their most recent investment is from 2023, they might have stopped deploying. Message their portfolio founders on LinkedIn and ask if the fund is still writing checks.

Should I pitch climate funds or ocean-specific investors?

Ocean-specific funds understand maritime timelines and regulations. Climate funds have bigger check sizes but might push you to pivot if ocean deployment takes longer than expected. Match your stage and sector - aquaculture goes to aquaculture funds, autonomous vessels to maritime robotics funds.

What metrics do ocean tech investors actually care about?

Pilot customer names and contract values matter most. If you're pre-revenue, show signed MOUs with maritime operators or seafood companies. Ocean investors want to see deployment plans, not just lab results. Unit economics for your first commercial customer, even if they're not great yet.

How long does ocean tech fundraising take?

Seed rounds take 4-6 months if you have pilot traction. Series A takes 6-9 months because maritime due diligence is slower. Investors need to understand your technology, regulations, and commercial pathway. Start fundraising before you need the money.

Do I need warm intros to ocean tech investors?

Yes for tier-1 funds. Ocean-specific funds like Katapult Ocean and Aqua-Spark review cold applications through their programs. Portfolio founder intros work best - use Ellty to share your deck with them first so they can see your traction before making an intro.

When should I set up a data room?

Before you start pitching Series A investors. Ocean tech due diligence requires more documentation than software - environmental permits, pilot results, partnership agreements, and sometimes biological data. Having everything organized in Ellty speeds up the process by weeks.