The Vorarlberg startup subdron has successfully raised 1.3 million euros in a pre-seed financing round. The investment round was led by xista science ventures and Faber, a Lisbon-based venture capital firm. The funds will enable subdron to accelerate the development and implementation of their technology, which aims to revolutionize the way underwater structures are inspected for fouling and structural integrity.
subdron GmbH is a DeepTech startup dedicated to transforming underwater inspections by developing short-range navigation for AUVs and automated data processing and analysis. Their mission is to provide efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions for the management of subsea infrastructure. Proprietary Relative Object Navigation (RON) enables fully autonomous inspections at very close range to the area of interest. Currently, RON is integrated into IQUA Robotics’ SparusII AUV platform, but can also be integrated into other platforms.
subdron’s solution enhances autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with state-of-the-art technology and artificial intelligence to autonomously survey and inspect underwater infrastructure such as port facilities and ship hulls. Through the use of sensor systems and innovative algorithms, these vehicles enable faster, more precise and more cost-effective inspections. The technology has the potential to significantly reduce pollution in the shipping industry and revolutionize the maintenance and monitoring of vital underwater assets.
Expansion to Portugal
The investment also allows subdron to open a subsidiary in Porto, Portugal. The presence in the coastal city with access to relevant infrastructure will allow the company to expand collaborations with local research centers for maritime robotics and to strengthen networks with maritime transport companies to expand the distribution of their services.
“We are pleased to announce the successful completion of our pre-seed financing round,” says Thomas Vonach, founder and CEO of subdron. “This significant investment will advance our mission to further expand our technology leadership and to significantly improve the overall efficiency and sustainability of subsea infrastructure management.”