Hullbot
Hullbot provides autonomous underwater robotics services for frequent cleaning of ship hulls and propellers, serving maritime fleet operators globally through a recurring service model with no upfront capital cost, deployed from hubs in San Francisco, Seattle, and Singapore.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersRozelle, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hullbot does
Hullbot Pty Ltd is an Australian-headquartered autonomous robotics company that provides frequent underwater hull and propeller cleaning services to maritime fleet operators. Its core product is an autonomous underwater robotics platform equipped with gentle, coating-safe brushes that perform proactive grooming of vessel hulls, propellers, and niche areas to prevent biofouling accumulation before it reduces hydrodynamic efficiency. The platform combines robotic cleaning hardware with a cloud robotics layer and an asset intelligence system that records and analyses time-series fleet performance data, enabling diver-free routine inspections and real-time analytics.
The business operates on a service-based, recurring revenue model with no upfront capital cost or vessel modifications required from customers. Pricing is quote-based and tied to fleet assessment outcomes and recommended cleaning cadence, with multi-year contracts. Hullbot serves enterprise maritime fleet operators globally and has publicly named Ultramar, NRMA Marine (fleet-wide), FRS Clipper, and APFC Fastcat as customers. The company delivers service from international hubs in San Francisco, Seattle, and Singapore, and positions itself within the climate technology vertical, citing a target of reducing 0.5 gigaton CO2e per year by 2035.
Hullbot closed an AUD 16 million Series A in November 2025 led by Regeneration VC, with proceeds earmarked for production scaling, geographic expansion, and the introduction of larger robotic platforms capable of servicing a broader range of vessel classes. The company is led by CEO and Co-founder Tom Loefler and Co-founder/CTO Karl Watfern, supported by a leadership team spanning operations, finance, impact, sales and marketing, and R&D.
Hullbot firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hullbot
- Legal name
- Hullbot Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://hullbot.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hullbot provides autonomous underwater robotics services for frequent cleaning of ship hulls and propellers, serving maritime fleet operators globally through a recurring service model with no upfront capital cost, deployed from hubs in San Francisco, Seattle, and Singapore.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hullbot industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Autonomous Marine Hull Cleaning Services
- NAICS
- Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839)
- SIC
- Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730), Water Transportation (4400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Underwater Hull Services (Diving, In-Water Cleaning, Propeller Polishing, Inspection) (TLAHAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Underwater Hull Inspection, Cleaning & Propeller Services (TLAKAKAJ), Dry Docking & Hull Steelwork Repair (IMAJAFAA)
Keywords
Where Hullbot is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rozelle
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices3 records
Markets served
Hullbot business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Autonomous Hull Cleaning Service: Recurring hull cleaning service for fleet operators with no upfront costs or capital expenditure required from customers. Hullbot deploys its robotics platform to clean vessels proactively, generating revenue through service contracts based on cleaning frequency and fleet size.
- Fleet Assessment Services: Hullbot visits customer locations to conduct fleet assessments, recommend cleaning frequency, and estimate ROI before commencing service delivery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | No upfront capital costs - service-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Hullbot product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hullbot provides a managed autonomous hull-cleaning service for maritime fleet operators, deploying proprietary underwater robots to frequently groom ship hulls, propellers, and niche areas. The service proactively removes biofouling to reduce drag and fuel consumption, and includes routine vessel inspections and asset intelligence analytics. No upfront capital costs or vessel modifications are required from customers.
Product overview
Hullbot offers a single unified autonomous hull-cleaning service built on what it describes as 'the world's most advanced underwater robotics platform.' The service comprises autonomous cleaning robots with gentle brushes safe for all coatings, paired with an asset intelligence platform that provides real-time analytics and fleet performance monitoring. Hullbot's offering combines the robotic cleaning hardware with flexible scheduling, day-and-night operations, propeller and niche area cleaning, and regular hull condition inspections—all delivered as a managed service with no upfront capital costs to fleet operators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hullbot Autonomous Hull Cleaning Service Recurring autonomous cleaning service that deploys Hullbot's underwater robots to groom ship hulls, propellers, and niche areas on a frequent schedule. Prevents biofouling build-up, reduces drag and fuel consumption, works with all coatings, and provides routine vessel inspections and asset intelligence for maritime fleet operators.
- Fleet Assessment Services On-site assessment where Hullbot visits customer locations to evaluate fleet condition, recommend optimal cleaning frequency, and estimate ROI prior to commencing service delivery. Targeted at enterprise maritime fleet operators.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces emissions by 10-40% across fleets
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Hullbot
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Hullbot technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
Hullbot partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hullbot competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Neptune Robotics: China-based provider of autonomous underwater robotic hull cleaning services for commercial shipping. Most direct head-to-head competitor with Hullbot, addressing the same biofouling and fuel-efficiency problem with in-water robotic cleaning rather than divers.
- Fleet Cleaner: European provider of ROV-based underwater hull cleaning services at berth or anchorage. Competes with Hullbot in the same in-water hull cleaning category with a focus on commercial shipping and cruise operators.
- HullWiper: Provider of in-water hull cleaning using remotely operated brush systems deployed at multiple ports. Targets the same maritime fleet operators as Hullbot with a service-based, capex-free-for-customer model.
- Deep Trekker: Manufacturer of battery-powered underwater ROVs used for inspection, cleaning, and aquaculture tasks. Comparable autonomous underwater platform technology with adjacent use cases such as hull and infrastructure inspection.
- Sperre AS: Norwegian manufacturer of work-class and observation ROVs used in inspection and intervention tasks including underwater cleaning and survey. Comparable in ROV-based underwater intervention services relevant to ship hull work.
Broad incumbents
- Subsea Industries: Supplier of hard, biocide-free hull coatings and related underwater cleaning equipment. Competes with Hullbot indirectly by offering an alternative biofouling solution, with broader coatings portfolio and established shipyard relationships.
- Wärtsilä: Large marine technology group offering ship lifecycle services, including efficiency solutions and digital fleet services. Could either partner with or compete with Hullbot as it broadens digital offerings tied to vessel efficiency and emissions.
- Alfa Laval: Major marine equipment and service provider with a portfolio spanning separators, heat exchangers, and increasingly digital/connected vessel services. Broad incumbent with capability to expand into autonomous hull cleaning or efficiency services.
- Cathelco: Marine environmental systems provider offering hull corrosion protection, ballast water treatment, and related services. Incumbent in the broader marine biofouling/water-quality services category that overlaps with Hullbot's value proposition.
Emerging players
- Blueye Robotics: Norwegian maker of compact underwater drones used for inspection and observation in maritime, aquaculture, and infrastructure. Partial overlap with Hullbot on underwater platform tech, focused on observation/inspection rather than cleaning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hullbot social profiles
Digital presenceHullbot compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Hullbot financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hullbot leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Hullbot funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors16 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hullbot 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 Hullbot
What does Hullbot do?
Hullbot provides a managed autonomous hull-cleaning service for maritime fleet operators, deploying proprietary underwater robots to frequently groom ship hulls, propellers, and niche areas. The service proactively removes biofouling to reduce drag and fuel consumption, and includes routine vessel inspections and asset intelligence analytics. No upfront capital costs or vessel modifications are required from customers.
Is Hullbot a public or private company?
Hullbot is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Hullbot founded?
Hullbot was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hullbot based?
Hullbot is headquartered in Rozelle, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Hullbot make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Autonomous Hull Cleaning Service is the primary driver. The others are fleet Assessment Services.
Who are Hullbot's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Neptune Robotics, Fleet Cleaner, HullWiper, Deep Trekker and Sperre AS. Broad incumbents are Subsea Industries, Wärtsilä, Alfa Laval and Cathelco. Blueye Robotics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Hullbot have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hullbot.
What industry is Hullbot in?
Hullbot's product category is Autonomous Marine Hull Cleaning Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAHAMAL, Underwater Hull Services (Diving, In-Water Cleaning, Propeller Polishing, Inspection), with a secondary code of TLAKAKAJ, Underwater Hull Inspection, Cleaning & Propeller Services. Its NAICS code is 336611 and its SIC code is 3730.