UK-based maritime defence
startup Online Oceans has raised £4 million in funding to scale its autonomous
surface vessels and fleet software platform. The round was led by Seraphim Space, with participation from investors including Peter Rive, Frank Thieser,
Florian Seibel, and Koro Capital.
Founded in 2025 by George Morton and Alistair Douglas, Online Oceans is developing autonomous systems
designed to enable persistent maritime coverage. Its offering combines Scout, a
compact solar-powered autonomous surface vessel, with Tether, a cloud-based
command-and-control platform that allows operators to manage missions, monitor
assets, and access data in real time.
The company is targeting
use cases including anti-submarine warfare, protection of subsea
infrastructure, border security, and counter-drug smuggling. Its platform
supports dense, continuously connected fleets, offering an alternative to
traditional approaches that rely on costly crewed vessels or limited autonomous
deployments.
Commenting on the need for
more cost-effective maritime monitoring, George Morton, founder and CEO of
Online Oceans, said:
We built Online Oceans to
provide a more practical and scalable way for governments and operators to
monitor critical waters, protect infrastructure, and maintain awareness over
extended periods.
The new funding will be
used to scale manufacturing, support deployments, and expand the company’s
ability to meet growing demand across defence and commercial markets. While
building from Europe, Online Oceans is positioning itself to address global demand
for persistent maritime monitoring and infrastructure.