Aussie underwater robot company secures funding for expansion

Australian ocean robotics company Hullbot has raised AU$16 million in a Series A funding to scale manufacturing, strengthen its global service network and expand its next-generation robotic systems.

Founded in Sydney, Hullbot designs, builds and deploys autonomous underwater robots that proactively clean and inspect ship hulls. By enabling frequent cleaning, Hullbot delivers fuel savings on average of 15% and up to 26%. This helps fleets cut operational costs while preventing pollution and reducing emissions. Hullbot’s service has cleaned over 82 vessels across the US, EU, and APAC.

The company has been awarded the Australian Good Design Award of the Year — the nation’s highest design honour — beating global giants such as Tesla, Hyundai, and Polestar. In addition to the top award, Hullbot secured Gold and Best in Class Awards for Commercial & Industrial Product Design, underscoring its industry-leading innovation, scalability and environmental impact.

“We are committed to showing how Australian innovation can take on one of the world’s hardest-to-abate sectors,” said Tom Loefler, Founder and CEO of Hullbot. “Hullbot sits at the intersection of shipping efficiency, decarbonisation, and ocean health. This raise allows us to take that impact to the next level.”

Shipping accounts for around 1 billion tonnes of CO₂ emissions every year, and even a thin layer of biofouling (marine organisms on vessel hulls) on a ship’s hull can drive fuel overconsumption by more than 20%.

“Tom Loefler struck us as someone uniquely placed to address this unsolved problem, alongside the highly technical team he has assembled,” said Alister Coleman, Partner at Folklore Ventures, one of the funding partners. “Folklore is proud to partner with Tom and the Hullbot team, as they continue to see strong traction with major marine customers globally.”

“I’m blown away by this team of mariners, roboticists and software engineers,” said Destana Herring, Principal at Regeneration.VC. “This is ingenious technology ripe with commercial proof at a critical inflection point for international maritime. We see a validated multi-billion-dollar opportunity to decarbonise world-leading fleets.”

Hullbot has already completed over 1000 cleans globally, across ferry, commercial shipping and fishing operations. Customers include Sydney’s own Sydney Ferries. Currently, Hullbot has established operations in the US, Mexico, Europe, Singapore and local markets.

With demand for proactive hull cleaning rapidly increasing, Hullbot is now entering a major growth phase, and the company plans expand its next-generation robotic systems to accommodate larger vessel classes, positioning Hullbot as a key player in shipping’s decarbonisation transition.

Image: Hullbot in action. Credit: Hullbot