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§ Private Profile · Alameda, CA, USA
Saildrone is a technology company.
Saildrone has raised $234.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Key people at Saildrone.
Saildrone has raised $234.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Saildrone develops and operates a fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) that provide persistent, wide-area intelligence and payload effects at sea. These autonomous systems are powered by renewable wind and solar energy, integrating advanced sensor suites and artificial intelligence. Their platforms, including the Explorer, Voyager, and Surveyor, are designed to operate in harsh maritime environments, collecting critical data and enhancing situational awareness for various applications.
The company was founded by Richard Jenkins, who transitioned his expertise from breaking the wind-powered land speed record in 2009. His decade-long effort to develop breakthrough wing technology for extreme speeds formed the core innovation. This pioneering work led to the inception of Saildrone's maritime uncrewed systems, with the first ocean crossing proof of concept achieved in 2013. Jenkins holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Saildrone serves governments globally, offering unparalleled transparency and valuable insights into oceanographic data, environmental conditions, and maritime activities. The company aims to deliver data directly into critical workflows, enabling more informed decision-making for defense missions and broader ocean understanding. Saildrone's vision is to sustainably explore, map, and monitor the ocean, enhancing security and preserving the planet.
Key people at Saildrone.
Saildrone builds and operates autonomous, wind- and solar-powered uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), known as saildrones, equipped with science-grade and defense-grade sensors for high-resolution oceanographic, meteorological, and security data collection.[1][5][6] These vessels serve government agencies like the US Navy, Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), NOAA, and NASA, as well as commercial customers in maritime security, ocean research, seafloor mapping, homeland security, and critical infrastructure protection.[2][3][4][5] Saildrone solves high-cost, high-risk manned ocean operations by enabling persistent, low-cost, real-time intelligence in harsh environments, such as hurricanes or remote regions, while reducing emissions and fuel use—demonstrated by over 50,000 days at sea and 2 million nautical miles sailed.[1][5][6] Growth momentum includes landmark missions like uncrewed Alaska ocean mapping, Aleutian seafloor surveys, and US Navy integrations, plus partnerships like the 2022 Defense Innovation Unit collaboration.[1][3][4]
Founded in 2011 in Alameda, California, Saildrone emerged from a vision to make ocean data collection safer, cheaper, and more scalable using autonomous technology.[2][6] Key founder Richard Jenkins, an engineer with a background in wind-powered land speed records, drew inspiration from sailing and robotics to create the first saildrone prototype, which evolved into durable USVs capable of year-long missions.[1][6] Early traction came from science missions tracking fish, carbon absorption, and hurricanes, quickly expanding to defense applications like illegal fishing detection and border monitoring with US agencies.[3][5][8] Pivotal moments include circumnavigating Antarctica, surviving category 4 hurricanes, and recent feats like the world-first uncrewed Alaska mapping mission, solidifying its role in national security and exploration.[1][4][5]
Saildrone rides the wave of maritime autonomy and uncrewed systems, addressing the 70% of Earth covered by oceans where 90% of trade, 99% of data cables, and most threats occur, yet traditional manned ops are costly and limited.[4][5] Timing aligns with rising geopolitical tensions, climate monitoring needs, and US EEZ mapping priorities (e.g., Gulf of Maine corals, Aleutians seamounts), fueled by market forces like undersea cable vulnerabilities and illegal activities.[3][4][8] It influences the ecosystem by proving USVs as force multipliers for navies and agencies, integrating with AI networks (e.g., US 5th Fleet), and lowering data costs to improve weather models, fisheries, and acidification insights—pushing competitors like Kraken Robotics toward hybrid solutions.[1][2][3]
Saildrone is poised to dominate maritime ISR with expanding fleets for global hotspots, deeper AI-sensor integrations, and commercial scaling in offshore energy and transocean cables.[3][4][5] Trends like naval unmanned swarms, climate-driven ocean intel, and undersea infrastructure booms will accelerate growth, potentially evolving its influence from data provider to full ecosystem orchestrator for persistent ocean awareness.[1][5] As threats push maritime borders outward, Saildrone's low-risk, high-endurance edge will redefine how nations secure and explore the seafloor—from Alaska depths to Pacific El Niños—delivering the persistent visibility that powers safer, sustainable oceans.[3][6]
Saildrone has raised $234.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $60.0M Other Equity in May 2025.
Saildrone has raised $234.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Saildrone's investors include Peder Lundquist, Academy Securities, BZH Capital, Calm Ventures, Crowley, Lux Capital, Pinegrove Venture Partners, Washington Harbour Partners, What If Ventures, Bond, 305 Ventures, 75 & Sunny.
