UK Startup Oshen Raises $5M in Funding for Data Collecting Autonomous Ocean Robotics
aiinsider ·
UK startup Oshen has raised $5 million in a funding round led by Lunar Ventures, with participation from AlbionVC, Twin Track Ventures, and Concept Ventures. The company produces C-Star, a roughly one-meter-long autonomous ocean robot powered by wind and solar that can stay at sea for over six months. These robots collect data for weather, ocean, and maritime monitoring and communicate via satellite links. Oshen has increased its production from 15 units in its first three years to 15 every six weeks and has 100 additional robots on order. Customers include NOAA, the Royal Navy, the U.K. Met Office, Météo-France, and CNMOC. Founded in 2022 by Anahita Laverack and Ciaran Dowds, the company gained attention when three C-Stars collected data from inside Category 5 Hurricane Humberto, becoming the first uncrewed surface vessel of its size to do so. Oshen targets applications in climate monitoring, maritime security, and infrastructure where conventional methods are costly or provide intermittent coverage.
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