Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering is a San Francisco-based company that builds vertically integrated autonomous underwater vehicles and launch systems for ocean ecosystem restoration, maritime surveillance, and infrastructure defense, selling primarily to defense, government, research, and conservation customers worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering does
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering is a San Francisco-based private company founded in 2023 that builds vertically integrated autonomous maritime systems for ocean monitoring, ecological restoration, and maritime domain awareness. Its product line centers on the Mako family of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with 72-hour endurance, 200 lb payload capacity, and 5,000 ft depth rating, supported by the Kraken autonomous launch, recovery, and recharge system that enables remote mission execution without human intervention, and a planned Leviathan dual-domain surface-and-subsea platform slated for 2026. The vehicles feature a modular Lego-style payload architecture and swarm inter-vehicle communication, with onboard edge computing the company positions as 40x more capable than competing small/medium AUVs.
The company operates an enterprise field-sales motion targeting government, defense, research, and conservation customers. Publicly named customers include the US Navy, Government of Australia, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Mote Marine Laboratory, The Nature Conservancy, University of Western Australia, Westport, and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of AUVs and mission-specific payload modules, with no self-serve pricing and a 'Talk to our team' consultative sales approach. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, operates with 11-50 employees, and has raised approximately $48M across a $2M seed (Lowercarbon Capital, Nov 2024), an $8M Series 1 (Pebblebed lead, May 2025), and a $38M Series 2 (Andreessen Horowitz lead, Apr 2026) with Booz Allen Ventures and Harpoon participating.
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering
- Website
- https://ulysses.inc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering is a San Francisco-based company that builds vertically integrated autonomous underwater vehicles and launch systems for ocean ecosystem restoration, maritime surveillance, and infrastructure defense, selling primarily to defense, government, research, and conservation customers worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Autonomous Maritime Systems
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) & Autonomous Subsea Platforms (IMABAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Maritime Unmanned Systems (USV/UUV) & Control Stations (IMABAKAJ), Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH)
Keywords
Where Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Autonomous Vehicle Sales: Sale of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) including Mako and Leviathan families, along with modular payload systems for various maritime applications.
- Mission-Specific Payload Modules: Revenue from modular payload systems that can be swapped to equip vehicles for specific subsea tasks such as ecological restoration, surveillance, and infrastructure maintenance.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ulysses designs, manufactures, and sells autonomous maritime systems — the Mako family of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for long-duration subsea missions, the Leviathan integrated surface/subsea vehicle, and the Kraken autonomous launch, recovery, and recharge system. The vehicles use a modular, swappable payload architecture and onboard edge computing to execute ecological restoration, infrastructure defense, and surveillance missions with zero human intervention. The platform is sold as vertically integrated hardware and software to government, defense, research, and conservation customers.
Product overview
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering offers a vertically integrated platform of autonomous maritime systems comprising the Mako and Leviathan autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and the Kraken autonomous launch, recovery, and recharge system. The Mako AUV family provides long-duration subsea mission capability with 72-hour endurance, 200 lb payload capacity, and 5000 ft depth rating. The Kraken system enables remote, fully autonomous mission execution without human intervention. The vehicles feature a modular design allowing payload swaps for diverse subsea tasks. This integrated hardware and software system replaces fragmented legacy maritime tools with persistent, scalable autonomous capability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mako: Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) family for long-duration missions from ecological restoration to subsea surveillance. Features 72 hrs endurance, 200 lb max payload, 5000 ft depth rating.
- Leviathan
- Kraken
Products and services
- Mako Autonomous Underwater Vehicle A family of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) designed for long-duration subsea missions ranging from ecological restoration to subsea surveillance. The Mako features 72 hours of endurance, 200 lb maximum payload, and a 5,000 ft depth rating, runs 40x more subsea compute than competing small/medium AUVs, and uses a modular payload architecture that can be reconfigured for different missions. It is sold to government, defense, research, and conservation customers.
- Leviathan Autonomous Vehicle An autonomous surface and subsea integrated system vehicle (AUV) from Ulysses. Listed on the website as 'Coming 2026' / 'Coming Soon,' intended to extend the platform's dual-domain (surface and subsea) capability set beyond the Mako family.
- Kraken Autonomous Launch, Recovery, and Recharge System An autonomous launch, recovery, and recharge system that enables the remote execution of missions start-to-finish with zero need for human intervention or oversight. Kraken allows the Ulysses AUV fleet (Mako, and later Leviathan) to operate persistently without manual handling, supporting autonomous and swarm operations.
- Modular Mission-Specific Payload Modules Swappable payload modules for Ulysses AUVs that can be configured like 'Lego' blocks to equip vehicles for specific subsea tasks such as ecological restoration, surveillance, infrastructure inspection, seed planting, and robotic intervention. Sold alongside Mako and Leviathan vehicles to enable mission-specific configurations.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50x reduction in vehicle cost compared to legacy providers
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature6 records
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Aquaai: Early-stage underwater drone company focused on aquaculture and environmental monitoring. Comparable as a smaller emerging player in autonomous subsea sensing for environmental and research use cases.
- SeaMachines Robotics: Boston-based autonomous marine technology company providing autonomy software and systems for commercial vessels and naval customers. Comparable as an emerging player in autonomous maritime systems with overlap in vessel autonomy for both commercial and defense applications.
Broad incumbents
- Ocean Infinity: Established marine robotics operator running the Armada fleet of unmanned surface vessels and AUVs for offshore and defense work. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering integrated autonomous maritime data and intervention services to government and commercial customers.
- Kongsberg Maritime: Major supplier of HUGIN AUVs and integrated subsea systems to defense, oil & gas, and research customers globally. Comparable as the legacy AUV incumbent whose high unit cost Ulysses positions itself against.
- L3Harris Technologies: Large defense prime with significant unmanned maritime systems, autonomy, and naval sensing capabilities serving the US Navy and allied governments. Comparable as a deep-pocketed defense incumbent that competes for the same government contract dollars.
- Saab (Sea Wasp / Double Eagle): Defense company producing underwater robotic systems (Sea Wasp, Double Eagle) for mine countermeasure and naval EOD missions. Comparable as a global defense prime supplying autonomous underwater systems to allied navies.
- Teledyne Marine: Manufacturer of Gavia and other AUVs plus a broad marine instrumentation portfolio serving science, defense, and commercial subsea markets. Comparable as an established AUV manufacturer competing in overlapping customer use cases.
Direct peers
- Anduril Industries: US defense technology company building autonomous systems including the Dive-LD AUV and maritime autonomy stack for the US Navy. Directly comparable as a venture-backed defense-tech competitor pursuing autonomous underwater and surface platforms for government customers.
- Saildrone: Builder of autonomous surface vehicles for ocean data collection, defense, and science missions. Comparable as a venture-backed ocean autonomy company selling to government, defense, and research customers with a vertically integrated hardware/software platform.
- Bedrock Ocean: Autonomous underwater exploration and seabed mapping company. Comparable as a venture-backed AUV-focused startup serving both commercial subsea survey and government/defense customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering social profiles
Digital presenceUlysses Ecosystem Engineering financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering
What does Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering do?
Ulysses designs, manufactures, and sells autonomous maritime systems — the Mako family of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for long-duration subsea missions, the Leviathan integrated surface/subsea vehicle, and the Kraken autonomous launch, recovery, and recharge system. The vehicles use a modular, swappable payload architecture and onboard edge computing to execute ecological restoration, infrastructure defense, and surveillance missions with zero human intervention. The platform is sold as vertically integrated hardware and software to government, defense, research, and conservation customers.
Is Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering a public or private company?
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering founded?
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering based?
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Autonomous Vehicle Sales are the primary driver. The others are mission-Specific Payload Modules.
Who are Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Aquaai and SeaMachines Robotics. Broad incumbents are Ocean Infinity, Kongsberg Maritime, L3Harris Technologies, Saab (Sea Wasp / Double Eagle) and Teledyne Marine. Direct peers are Anduril Industries, Saildrone and Bedrock Ocean.
Does Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering.
What industry is Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering in?
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering's product category is Autonomous Maritime Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAIAF, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) & Autonomous Subsea Platforms, with a secondary code of IMABAKAJ, Maritime Unmanned Systems (USV/UUV) & Control Stations. Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.