India-based maritime technology firm Clear Robotics has closed a US$1.75 million Pre-Series A funding round to scale its fleet of artificial intelligence-enabled autonomous vessels globally.
Led by maritime-focused Shipsfocus Ventures, the investment round included follow-on funding from Katapult Ocean, SGInnovate, and M7 Holdings MGS Ventures.
The company currently operates a fleet of 26 all-electric, AI-optimised unmanned surface vessels (USVs) designed to address maritime infrastructure challenges.
Clear Robotics plans to use the capital injection to accelerate its expansion into Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East. The funds will also drive the development of larger unmanned vessels, advance research and development for automated port surveying, and scale its commercial retrofit technology for open-ocean operations.
The company was founded in 2020 by Sidhant Gupta and Utkarsh Goel, and previously won the Pier71 Smart Port Challenge in 2024 and the Captain’s Table in 2022. Over the past year, Clear Robotics has expanded into markets including Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines, where pilot vessels were deployed for a waterfront inauguration.
“Clear Robotics is building a reliable, scalable operating system for the essential middle of the maritime sector,” said Chye Poh Chua, Managing Partner at Shipsfocus Ventures.
“Sidhant and his team prioritise practical deployment over lab demos, iterating in real-world conditions. Execution is their true moat, and we led this round because they are building the infrastructure for the next era of maritime work.”
