What Tocaro Blue does

Tocaro Blue is a private maritime perception software company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Pensacola, Florida, with an R&D office in Birmingham, Alabama. The company develops machine learning software that transforms commodity marine radar and EO/IR cameras into intelligent perception sensors for the global defense, commercial, and recreational marine markets. Its two flagship products are ProteusCore, a radar processing software trained on 3,000,000+ labeled radar images that performs automatic gain/range tuning, object detection, classification across 8 marine object classes, and real-time tracking; and ApolloCore, launched in April 2025, a ML software product for marine PTZ cameras that delivers automatic stabilization, 15 object classes, and native fusion with ProteusCore radar data. The portfolio is rounded out by Proteus Hub, a $4,950 consumer navigation device for recreational boaters with a $299/year premium subscription, and the ProteusCore DevKit, a marine-grade edge computing appliance for developers and integrators.

Tocaro Blue monetizes through a multi-channel model: OEM software licensing to marine electronics manufacturers (Furuno, FarSounder, Sea.AI, Navtech Radar), direct integration into USV autonomy stacks for defense customers (Metal Shark SharkTech, Havoc AI), consumer hardware plus subscription for recreational boaters, and DevKit hardware sales to developers. Pricing for enterprise and defense engagements is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per engagement, while consumer pricing is fixed at $4,950 hardware plus $299/year subscription. The company has raised approximately $6.94M in cumulative disclosed funding across a 2023 convertible note and 2024-2025 rounds, and employs 11-50 people. Its go-to-market relies heavily on OEM embedding rather than direct enterprise sales, with target buyers including defense integrators, marine electronics OEMs, USV platform builders, and recreational boaters in the 25-65 foot vessel range.

The company won the 2024 IBEX Innovation Award in the OEM Electronics category for Proteus Hub and has secured third-party validation from the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Strategic OEM and defense partnerships announced across 2025 position ProteusCore and ApolloCore as candidates for integration into next-generation maritime electronics and USV autonomy stacks supplied to the US Armed Forces and allied militaries.

Name

Tocaro Blue

Legal name

Tocaro Blue, LLC

Website

https://tocaroblue.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tocaro Blue develops AI/ML maritime perception software — ProteusCore for radar and ApolloCore for PTZ cameras — serving defense integrators, marine electronics OEMs, and recreational boaters with edge-deployable perception technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Perception Software

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Navigation Systems (ECDIS, Radar, GNSS, AIS) (IMAJAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maritime Unmanned Systems (USV/UUV) & Control Stations (IMABAKAJ), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) & Autonomous Maritime Surface Platforms (IMABAIAE), Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI)

Keywords

• Maritime perception software
• Marine radar processing
• AI marine navigation
• Unmanned surface vessels
• Marine sensor fusion

Headquarters

HQ city

Pensacola

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Proteus Hub Hardware + Software Subscription: Proteus Hub sold as a hardware device at $4,950 unit price, with an optional $299/year subscription for enhanced 3D View and other premium features. This is the primary consumer-facing revenue stream targeting recreational boaters.
2. OEM Software Licensing (ProteusCore / ApolloCore): ProteusCore and ApolloCore licensed to OEM marine electronics manufacturers (MFD builders, radar makers, camera makers) and USV platform builders for embedding into their products and autonomy stacks. Revenue likely includes NRE/engineer integration fees plus per-unit or royalty licensing.
3. DevKit Hardware Sales: Sale of ruggedized ProteusCore DevKit hardware — a marine-grade edge computing device pre-loaded with ProteusCore. Sold to developers and system integrators for rapid deployment, evaluation, and sea trailing.
4. Defense / USV Platform Integration: Integration of ProteusCore into defense USV platforms (Metal Shark HSMUSV, Havoc AI vessels) and autonomy stacks. Revenue model likely involves development/integration fees plus potentially per-vessel licensing for defense programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tocaro Blue develops AI/ML maritime perception software that transforms commodity marine radar and EO/IR cameras into intelligent sensors capable of automatic detection, classification, and tracking of objects at sea. Its core products — ProteusCore (radar processing) and ApolloCore (PTZ camera processing) — are licensed to marine electronics OEMs and integrated into defense unmanned surface vessels, while the consumer-facing Proteus Hub delivers ML-based navigation with 3D augmented-reality display to recreational boaters.

Product overview

Tocaro Blue is a maritime perception software company offering two core AI-powered products: ProteusCore (machine learning radar processing software) and ApolloCore (ML software for PTZ cameras). These are complemented by Proteus Hub, a consumer-focused navigation system for recreational boaters, and ProteusCore DevKit hardware. Together, ProteusCore and ApolloCore enable sensor fusion for autonomous vessels, defense applications, and advanced driver assistance systems. The company serves defense/security, OEM marine electronics manufacturers, and recreational boating markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ProteusCore: AI-powered marine radar processing software that transforms low-cost marine radar into a powerful perception sensor with automatic detection, classification, and tracking capabilities.
• ApolloCore
• Proteus Hub

Products and services

• ProteusCore Machine learning radar processing software that transforms off-the-shelf marine radar into an intelligent perception sensor. Implements automatic range and gain tuning (Autofocus), radar-based object detection and classification into 8 object classes, and real-time dynamic object tracking. Trained on 3,000,000+ labeled radar images, runs on CPU (no GPU required), and is deployable as an executable application, embedded C++ static libraries, or pre-installed on the DevKit. Targeted at marine electronics OEMs and defense USV builders.
• ApolloCore Machine learning intelligence software for marine EO/IR PTZ cameras. Delivers automatic stabilization and ranging using an IMU-driven sea-state predictive controller, real-time multi-object detection and tracking across 15 marine object classes (8 COLREGS vessels, markers, debris, persons), and natively fuses with ProteusCore radar for multi-sensor perception. Integrates with vessel IMU for horizon-level stabilization. Targeted at USV builders, marine electronics OEMs, and defense integrators.
• Proteus Hub Consumer navigation system for recreational boaters that combines ML-based radar vision (8 object classes), 3D augmented-reality display, AIS, and cartography integration with real-time alerts. Targets recreational boats 25-65 feet and integrates with existing MFDs (Garmin, Simrad). Priced at $4,950 one-time hardware purchase plus an optional $299/year subscription for enhanced 3D View.
• ProteusCore DevKit Ruggedized marine-grade edge computing hardware pre-equipped with ProteusCore software. Features watertight seals, solid-state heat sink, NMEA 2000 bus power, and an HTML5 configuration interface accessible from any browser. Sold to developers and system integrators for rapid deployment, evaluation, and sea trialing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed Great Loop world record (19 days, 19 hours, 50 minutes) using Proteus Hub navigation system on Canyon Bay 28H vessel
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and strategic.

• Georgia Tech Marine Robotics Group (MRG)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Tocaro Blue sponsors Georgia Tech's Marine Robotics Group for collaborative research on maritime autonomy and AI-supported radar signal processing. Tocaro Blue provides ProteusCore software, DevKit hardware, Furuno radar, and GPS/compass for research. Students work on characterizing uncertainty and bias in radar measurements for small autonomous surface vessels. Research project ongoing as of Spring 2026.
• Metal SharkcoreTechnology or Integration · 16 December 2025Strategic collaboration to embed Tocaro Blue's ProteusCore radar processing software into Metal Shark's fleet of High Speed Maneuverable Unmanned Surface Vessels (HSMUSVs). The software is integrated directly into Metal Shark's SharkTech autonomous technology stack, enhancing ISR and operational safety for US Armed Forces and allied defense missions. Metal Shark is a Louisiana-based boat builder with 400+ employees producing 200+ vessels per year, serving US and foreign militaries.
• Hefring MarinestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2025Strategic partnership integrating Tocaro Blue's radar perception technology with Hefring Marine's IMAS vessel decision-making system. The collaboration targets both traditional maritime operations and emerging autonomous vessel markets, combining AI-powered radar with Hefring's intelligent speed recommendations and collision avoidance capabilities. Both companies actively seek early adopters of the integrated solution.
• Havoc AIcoreTechnology or Integration · 10 June 2025Havoc AI integrates ProteusCore into its autonomous surface vessels (Rampage 14-ft USV, KaiKoa 42-ft ASV, Seahound 38-ft) for autonomous surface vessel operations. ProteusCore enables vessels to autonomously find, fix, track, and target surface vessels using onboard radar without relying on AIS or persistent network connectivity. No capital exchanged — purely a strategic technical integration. Full integration expected by end of 2025. Havoc AI is a Providence, R.I.-based startup founded in 2024 with $85M funding.
• Furuno USAcoreTechnology or Integration · 14 May 2025Collaborative effort leveraging Furuno's proven marine radar sensor technology alongside Tocaro Blue's ProteusCore radar perception software to deliver machine-readable data for modern autonomy stacks. Furuno's high-quality radar data enables more consistent autofocus adjustments and accurate ML-based detection and classification. Furuno's portfolio includes solutions for vessels of all sizes (compact to X-band/S-band systems).
• FarSounderstrategicTechnology or Integration · 14 May 2025FarSounder integrated ProteusCore into its Argos 3D Forward Looking Navigation Sonar SonaSoft Lt software, bringing AI-powered radar perception to FarSounder's navigation suite. The combined solution gives operators comprehensive above-water and below-water situational awareness, enabling classification of vessels (including non-AIS targets), buoys, shorelines, and underwater obstacles in a single display.
• Sea.AIstrategicTechnology or Integration · 8 May 2025Sea.AI, pioneer in AI maritime vision since 2018, integrates ProteusCore into its AI-driven navigation platform for enhanced all-weather situational awareness. Combines high-resolution optical, thermal, AIS, and radar data into a single navigation interface. Radar fusion with ProteusCore enables Sea.AI to offer 360-degree situational awareness and collision avoidance in all conditions. Availability targeted Q4 2025 as a software upgrade.
• Moxie IoT (Deft Dynamics)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Tocaro Blue acquired its engineering services vendor Moxie IoT (owned by Deft Dynamics) to accelerate development of navigation assistance systems and autonomous boating technology. Moxie IoT had been Tocaro Blue's lead engineering firm since 2019. The Moxie team, led by Dr. Austin Gurley (former Moxie CEO, now Tocaro Blue Chief of R&D), now leads all R&D efforts for Tocaro Blue's suite of advanced marine technologies including PROTEUS.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Maritime Robotics: Maritime Robotics builds unmanned surface vessel systems and autonomy software for survey, research, and defense customers. It overlaps with Tocaro Blue's USV perception layer and shares the same end customers integrating AI-driven situational awareness on small surface platforms.
• Saildrone: Saildrone builds autonomous wind- and solar-powered USVs for ocean data collection and defense ISR. It is a relevant emerging competitor on the uncrewed surface vessel platform side that consumes maritime perception technologies comparable to Tocaro Blue's software.

Direct peers

• Hefring Marine: Hefring Marine provides IMAS, an intelligent vessel decision-making and collision avoidance system. Its strategic partnership with Tocaro Blue overlaps in delivering AI-based situational awareness to both manned and autonomous vessels.
• Sea Machines Robotics: Sea Machines provides autonomous command and control software for commercial vessels and USVs, including perception-driven situational awareness. It is a comparable software-defined autonomy stack for workboats and defense surface vessels, overlapping with Tocaro Blue's ProteusCore defense use case.
• Navtech Radar: Navtech Radar provides high-resolution W-band radar sensors and perception software for autonomous situational awareness in harsh environments, including maritime. It is both a partner and a comparable radar-perception vendor competing for similar OEM and autonomy integrator customers.
• Sea.AI: Sea.AI builds AI-driven maritime vision and situational awareness systems for vessels using optical, thermal, AIS, and radar data. It directly competes with Tocaro Blue's ApolloCore and is also a partner integrating ProteusCore into its platform, making it the closest comparable in maritime AI perception.
• FarSounder: FarSounder manufactures 3D forward-looking sonar for navigation and obstacle avoidance, and now integrates Tocaro Blue's ProteusCore. It is a directly comparable marine perception hardware/software vendor serving the same recreational, commercial, and defense customers.

Broad incumbents

• FLIR Systems (Teledyne FLIR): Teledyne FLIR is a major provider of marine EO/IR cameras and sensing systems, supplying Raymarine and defense integrators. It is the closest large incumbent to Tocaro Blue's ApolloCore camera-perception product and competes for the same OEM and defense sockets.
• Furuno: Furuno is one of the largest marine radar and electronics OEMs globally and an active partner integrating ProteusCore. As an incumbent with deep customer reach, Furuno could license Tocaro Blue's software or compete with an in-house radar perception stack.
• Garmin: Garmin is a dominant marine electronics MFD and radar manufacturer; Proteus Hub already integrates with Garmin MFDs via HDMI and Ethernet. Garmin's scale and installed base make it both a near-term channel partner and a long-term competitive threat in marine ADAS and AI perception.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TocaroBlue

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tocaro Blue