Seatrec
Seatrec develops patented thermal energy harvesting systems that generate electricity from ocean temperature differentials, powering autonomous profiling floats and subsea drones for U.S. Navy, NOAA, and global Argo program oceanographic research customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersVista, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Seatrec does
Seatrec, Inc. is a California-based (Vista, CA) private company founded in 2016 as a spin-out from Caltech and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, developing patented thermal energy harvesting systems that generate electricity from naturally occurring ocean temperature differentials. The proprietary technology uses phase-change materials (pentadecane) that expand during solid-to-liquid transitions as the float moves between warm surface water and colder deep water, driving a hydraulic motor and generator to produce electricity. This enables autonomous underwater profiling floats, subsea drones, and stationary charging stations to operate indefinitely without battery replacement.
The company's product portfolio centers on the infiniTE™ Float platform and the SL1 Energy Harvesting Module, with specialized variants including the PSAP (Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler) Voyager for real-time acoustic monitoring, Navis floats manufactured under exclusive license for the international Argo program, Subsea Power Stations for UUV charging, and Polar Power Stations for Arctic air-sea temperature differential harvesting. Pricing signals suggest high-value unit economics with $75,000-per-float sponsored research deployments and seven-figure SBIR defense contracts.
Seatrec sells through a combination of direct enterprise sales to defense and research customers, government SBIR contracts (ONR, DARPA, NOAA), and an exclusive OEM licensing arrangement with Sea-Bird Scientific. Its primary customer segments are U.S. defense (Navy undersea domain awareness, PSAP), federal oceanographic research agencies (NOAA, NPS), and global oceanographic institutions via the Argo program. With 1–10 employees and approximately $3.3 million in disclosed equity funding plus $1 million in debt, the company operates in a capital-efficient mode while pursuing scaled defense hardware production through its 2026 Mississippi manufacturing partnership with Precise Systems and Airtronics.
Seatrec firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Seatrec
- Legal name
- Seatrec, Inc.
- Website
- https://seatrec.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Seatrec develops patented thermal energy harvesting systems that generate electricity from ocean temperature differentials, powering autonomous profiling floats and subsea drones for U.S. Navy, NOAA, and global Argo program oceanographic research customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Seatrec industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ocean Energy Harvesting Hardware
- NAICS
- Ship Building and Repairing (336611)
- SIC
- Motors & Generators (3621)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine Power Generation & Energy Storage (Generators, Batteries, UPS) (IMAJAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Submarine Energy Storage & Power Distribution Manufacturing (Batteries, Switchboards, Converters) (IMAJAOAG), Energy Storage Systems for Marine (Batteries, supercapacitors) (IMAJAHAJ)
Keywords
Where Seatrec is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vista
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Seatrec business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Thermal Energy Harvesting Hardware: Sale of infiniTE™ profiling floats and SL1 thermal energy harvesting modules to oceanographic researchers, defense customers, and government agencies. Hardware enables persistent autonomous ocean monitoring without battery replacement.
- Engineering Services: Custom engineering services to develop underwater rechargeable power systems for multiple applications including defense, industry, and aquaculture. Includes subsea power station development for charging underwater drones and sensors.
- Technology Licensing: Licensing of energy harvesting technology for integration into third-party platforms. Exclusive license with Sea-Bird Scientific to manufacture Navis floats for international Argo program.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Navis Float with SL1 Energy Harvesting Modules |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Seatrec product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Seatrec designs and manufactures subsea drones and energy harvesting modules that generate electricity from ocean temperature gradients using patented phase-change material technology. Its primary product, the infiniTE™ profiling float, harvests renewable energy from naturally occurring differences between warm surface water and cold deep water, enabling indefinite autonomous operation without battery replacement. The company also licenses its SL1 thermal harvesting module for integration into third-party platforms and provides custom engineering services for underwater rechargeable power systems serving defense, research, and aquaculture customers.
Product overview
Seatrec offers a portfolio of ocean energy harvesting products centered on its proprietary thermal-powered technology that converts ocean temperature gradients into electricity using phase-change materials. The core product is the infiniTE Float, an autonomous profiling float that operates without battery replacement. Supporting products include the SL1 Energy Harvesting Module (attachable to third-party floats and gliders), Subsea Power Stations for underwater drone charging, and Polar Power Stations for Arctic deployments. Specialized variants include the PSAP (Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler) Voyager for acoustic monitoring and Navis floats manufactured under license for the international Argo program. The company also provides engineering services to develop custom underwater rechargeable power systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- infiniTE™ Float Thermal-powered autonomous profiling float that harvests renewable energy from ocean temperature gradients using phase-change materials, profiling up to every 6 hours to 1,000 meters depth and transmitting data in real time via satellite. Sold to oceanographic researchers, defense agencies, and government customers who need persistent autonomous ocean monitoring.
- SL1 Thermal Energy Harvesting Module Patented attachable thermal energy harvesting module that uses pentadecane phase-change material to convert ocean temperature differentials into stored electrical energy, extending mission life of profiling floats and underwater gliders. Integrable into third-party platforms.
- PSAP (Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler) Voyager Specialized hydrophone-equipped version of the infiniTE float with onboard computing to process and transmit large volumes of acoustic data in near real time, enabling persistent passive acoustic monitoring for naval situational awareness, marine mammal monitoring, and noise-pollution studies.
- Navis Float (Argo Program) Argo-program profiling float integrating Seatrec's SL1 energy harvesting module with Sea-Bird Scientific's Navis platform, manufactured by Seatrec under exclusive license for the international Argo ocean-monitoring network.
- Subsea Power Stations Underwater charging stations that harvest ocean thermal energy to recharge autonomous underwater vehicles, underwater drones, and sensors for defense, industry, and aquaculture applications.
- Polar Power Stations Energy harvesting systems designed for Arctic operations that capture energy from air-sea temperature differences to power drones and sensors in polar environments.
- Engineering Services for Underwater Rechargeable Power Systems Custom engineering services to develop underwater rechargeable power systems for defense, industry, and aquaculture customers, including subsea power station development for charging underwater drones and sensors.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1000+ profiles completed without battery replacement
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Seatrec
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Seatrec technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature5 records
Seatrec partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- ASL Environmental SciencesmajorPartnership to integrate ASL's Acoustic Zooplankton Fish Profiler (AZFP-pico) onto Seatrec's infiniTE float for measuring zooplankton and mesopelagic biomass. DOE Power at Sea DEVELOP Phase award.
- Precise SystemscoreMOU to deliver Persistent Subsea Autonomous Profiler (PSAP) units for U.S. Navy. Partnership establishes scalable manufacturing, integration, and delivery facility in Mississippi combining Seatrec's energy-harvesting technology with Precise Systems' systems engineering expertise.
- AirtronicscoreAffiliate of Precise Systems participating in PSAP manufacturing and delivery partnership. Brings manufacturing depth and domestic defense production capacity to the partnership.
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (SMAST)majorMark Altabet, Ph.D. collaboration on fine-scale ocean vertical structure measurement using infiniTE float with oxygen and TDGP sensors.
- University of Washington Applied Physics LaboratorymajorEric D'Asaro, Ph.D. collaboration on autonomous profiling float capabilities for studying turbulence, internal waves, and ocean mixing.
- Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)coreCooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) for persistent, real-time oceanographic and acoustic measurements. PSAP (Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler) development with CRUSER program funding. Student research collaboration including METOC master's theses using PSAP data.
- Sea-Bird ScientificcoreExclusive licensing agreement for Seatrec to manufacture Navis floats for the international Argo program. Seatrec's SL1 energy harvesting modules integrated with Sea-Bird Scientific's Navis autonomous profiling float platform.
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)majorProject WHALE collaboration with Naval Postgraduate School to pilot first autonomous float equipped with hydrophone for blue and fin whale sound studies.
- National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) Propel Hawai'i AcceleratorminorSelected from 200+ companies for accelerator focused on Navy modernization needs. Partnership with Decisive Point and U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet.
- FishheadsLAminorProject FISH charter partnership with Steve Wozniak (IGFA world-record angler) providing boat deployment services for float deployment in Gulf of Mexico.
- Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 ProjectmajorProject NEMO partnership to map the ocean near Point Nemo - the most remote point in the ocean. Seabed 2030 aims to map the entire seafloor by 2030.
- Airmar Technology CorporationmajorProvides active acoustic echosounder for high-resolution seafloor mapping integrated with Seatrec's profiling float platform for Project NEMO. Collaboration with Innomar Technologie GmbH.
- Innomar Technologie GmbHmajorGerman partner providing echosounder technology for autonomous seafloor mapping float in Project NEMO collaboration with Airmar.
- University of New Hampshire - Center for Coastal and Ocean MappingmajorLarry Mayer, Professor and Director, leads Project NEMO. Provides seafloor mapping expertise and academic partnership for autonomous echosounder float development.
- H2O.aicoreProject FIND sponsor providing free access to Driverless AI platform for five sponsored oceanography teams from underrepresented communities. AI/ML tools to process data from Navis-SL1 floats.
- Project FIND Oceanographers (5 Teams)coreSponsored oceanographers from Brazil (Olga Sato, Paulo Polito), Ghana (Edem Mahu, Joseph Ansong), Mexico (Miguel Tenreiro), South Africa (Tammy Morris, Juliet Hermes), and Sri Lanka (Asha de Vos) each receive $75,000 Navis-SL1 floats.
- Northrop GrummanmajorDARPA Phase II SBIR collaboration to develop fast-diving autonomous robots powered by aluminum fuel. Joint development of underwater recharging station for UUVs. Winner of Powering the Blue Economy Explorer Prize.
- MIT - Professor Doug HartmajorCollaboration on aluminum fuel technology for fast-diving autonomous robots. Professor Hart's group developed liquid slurry method reacting aluminum with water to produce hydrogen gas for buoyancy.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Seatrec competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Saildrone: Saildrone builds wind and solar-powered autonomous surface vehicles for persistent ocean data collection, serving defense, research, and commercial customers. Directly comparable to Seatrec in targeting long-endurance ocean monitoring with renewable-energy harvesting, though Saildrone operates at the surface while Seatrec profiles underwater.
- Liquid Robotics: Liquid Robotics (a Boeing subsidiary) manufactures wave-powered Wave Glider autonomous vehicles for persistent ocean observation. Most directly comparable peer in the renewable-energy-harvesting-for-ocean-monitoring category, with similar Navy/defense and research customer base.
- Sofar Ocean: Sofar Ocean builds solar-powered Spotter buoys and autonomous ocean sensors for real-time marine weather and ocean data. Comparable in delivering persistent autonomous ocean monitoring with renewable power, targeting overlapping research and commercial customers.
- Sea-Bird Scientific: Sea-Bird Scientific is a leading manufacturer of oceanographic profiling instruments and Seatrec's exclusive licensee for manufacturing Navis floats under the Argo program. Direct commercial and technical partner; also a competitor in adjacent CTD and ocean sensor product lines.
- Carnegie Clean Energy: Carnegie Clean Energy develops CETO wave-energy technology for ocean power generation. Comparable as a clean-tech company harvesting ocean energy for sustained power, though focused on utility-scale wave energy rather than autonomous underwater platforms.
Emerging players
- Bedrock Ocean: Bedrock Ocean operates autonomous underwater vehicles for high-resolution seafloor mapping. Comparable in targeting autonomous ocean data collection with defense and survey customers, overlapping with Seatrec's seafloor mapping use case (Project NEMO/Seabed 2030).
- Blueye Robotics: Blueye Robotics manufactures compact underwater drones for inspection, research, and aquaculture applications. Comparable in developing autonomous underwater platforms, though focused on smaller tethered/ROV-style vehicles rather than long-endurance autonomous profiling.
Broad incumbents
- Kongsberg Maritime: Kongsberg Maritime is a large incumbent provider of underwater robotics, oceanographic sensors, and subsea systems for defense and research. Comparable as a broad supplier serving overlapping AUV/UUV and ocean observation customers, with much broader portfolio.
- Teledyne Marine: Teledyne Marine is a major manufacturer of oceanographic instruments, underwater vehicles, and imaging systems through multiple subsidiaries. Broad incumbent in the same ocean observation and instrumentation market that Seatrec serves with its thermal-powered floats.
Others
- OceanX: OceanX is a marine exploration and science organization operating advanced research vessels and submersibles for ocean observation. Adjacent player in the ocean-monitoring and ocean-intelligence ecosystem, sharing ecosystem partners and downstream customers with Seatrec.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Seatrec social profiles
Digital presenceSeatrec financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Seatrec leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Seatrec funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Seatrec 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 Seatrec
What does Seatrec do?
Seatrec designs and manufactures subsea drones and energy harvesting modules that generate electricity from ocean temperature gradients using patented phase-change material technology. Its primary product, the infiniTE™ profiling float, harvests renewable energy from naturally occurring differences between warm surface water and cold deep water, enabling indefinite autonomous operation without battery replacement. The company also licenses its SL1 thermal harvesting module for integration into third-party platforms and provides custom engineering services for underwater rechargeable power systems serving defense, research, and aquaculture customers.
Is Seatrec a public or private company?
Seatrec is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Seatrec founded?
Seatrec was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Seatrec based?
Seatrec is headquartered in Vista, United States, in the North America region.
How does Seatrec make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Thermal Energy Harvesting Hardware is the primary driver. The others are engineering Services and technology Licensing.
Who are Seatrec's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Saildrone, Liquid Robotics, Sofar Ocean, Sea-Bird Scientific and Carnegie Clean Energy. Emerging players are Bedrock Ocean and Blueye Robotics. Broad incumbents are Kongsberg Maritime and Teledyne Marine. OceanX is listed as an others.
Does Seatrec have an API?
No public API is recorded for Seatrec.
What industry is Seatrec in?
Seatrec's product category is Ocean Energy Harvesting Hardware. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAJAB, Marine Power Generation & Energy Storage (Generators, Batteries, UPS), with a secondary code of IMAJAOAG, Submarine Energy Storage & Power Distribution Manufacturing (Batteries, Switchboards, Converters). Its NAICS code is 336611 and its SIC code is 3621.