What SeaBubbles does

SeaBubbles is a privately held French company, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Paris, that designs and builds zero-emission hydrofoiling electric boats ("flying boats"). The core technology uses underwater foils that lift the hull above the water surface during operation, reducing hydrodynamic drag and enabling a value proposition framed as "0 wave, 0 noise, 0 emission." The company markets two product lines: "The Bubble" (the original hydrofoiling electric boat) and the "Smart Bubble," launched in September 2024 at the Cannes Yachting Festival and targeted at water taxi operators and urban mobility providers. In September 2024, SeaBubbles acquired Neocean to integrate flight control technology and improve the energy efficiency of its vessels. Beyond hardware, the company operates two service lines: SeaBubbles Academy (training on hydrofoiling operation) and SeaBubbles Mobility Solutions (point-to-point urban water transport services).

The business model is anchored on B2B/enterprise hardware sales of flying boats, complemented by service revenue from training and managed mobility solutions. The primary customer segment is urban water transportation operators (water taxi operators and municipalities); a secondary segment is maritime tourism operators. Go-to-market is field-led and event-anchored — exemplified by presence at the Cannes Yachting Festival — targeting enterprise buyers rather than end consumers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, consistent with a high-value, low-volume hardware sale to professional operators. No third-party distribution, channel partners, or consumer direct sales are evidenced; the model is best characterized as direct enterprise sales.

Firmographically, SeaBubbles is small (11-50 employees), self-described as planning for industrialization to scale production. Capital structure is thinly disclosed: cumulative disclosed equity funding is approximately $11.5M (a 2016 Partech investment, a 2017 EISMEA grant, and a ~$10.9M 2017 round led by MAIF Avenir). No revenue is disclosed, and there are no identified post-2017 institutional rounds, suggesting the company may be capital-constrained relative to its industrialization ambitions. Founders Alain Thebault and Anders Bringdal (also listed as founder and president) remain the only identified executives. The company sits in a large but slowly-growing addressable market: the global water taxi market is projected at $241.23B in 2025, expanding to $315.31B by 2032 (3.9% CAGR), driven by urban water transport, maritime tourism, and electric/hybrid fleet adoption — though SeaBubbles' serviceable obtainable share within this aggregate is not yet evidenced.

Name

SeaBubbles

Legal name

SeaBubbles

Website

https://seabubbles.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SeaBubbles is a Paris-based French company, founded in 2015, that builds zero-emission hydrofoiling electric flying boats. It sells the Bubble and SmartBubble product lines to enterprise buyers in urban water transport and maritime tourism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Hydrofoiling Boats

NAICS

Boat Building (336612), Water Transportation (483)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Passenger Ferries & Water Taxis (Fast Ferries, RoPax, Catamarans) (IMAJADAC)

Keywords

• Electric hydrofoiling boats
• Zero-emission watercraft
• Flying boat design
• Urban water mobility
• Electric boat manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Zero-emission flying boat sales: SeaBubbles generates revenue through the sale of its zero-emission hydrofoiling flying boats, including the SmartBubble model designed for water taxi and urban transportation applications

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SeaBubbles designs, manufactures, and sells zero-emission electric hydrofoiling flying boats that lift above the water surface to eliminate waves, noise, and emissions. The company offers two boat product lines (The Bubble and Smart Bubble) targeted at water taxi operators and urban transportation, complemented by training services (SeaBubbles Academy) and urban mobility solutions.

Product overview

SeaBubbles is a French company specializing in zero-emission hydrofoils for water mobility. The company offers two boat product lines: The Bubble (core electric hydrofoiling boat) and Smart Bubble (newer model designed for water taxi and urban transportation). These products converge technologies from various industries to create unique hydrofoiling designs that operate with zero waves, zero noise, and zero emissions. The company also provides complementary services through SeaBubbles Academy (training/education) and SeaBubbles Mobility Solutions (urban transportation services), along with technology development focused on flight control and energy efficiency improvements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Bubble Electric boat with innovative hydrofoiling design that enables it to fly above water, featuring zero wave, zero noise, and zero emissions. Core product for water mobility applications.
• Smart Bubble Environmentally friendly flying boat designed for urban water transportation and water taxi services, featuring zero-emission hydrofoiling technology. Launched at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2024.
• SeaBubbles Academy Training and education service offered by SeaBubbles for individuals interested in learning about hydrofoiling technology and electric boat operations.
• SeaBubbles Mobility Solutions Urban mobility services providing water transportation solutions using zero-emission flying boats for point-to-point transportation.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NeoceancoreTechnology or Integration · 13 September 2024SeaBubbles acquired Neocean to enhance its flight control technology and improve energy efficiency in its boats. This acquisition strengthens SeaBubbles' proprietary technology portfolio by integrating Neocean's expertise in flight control systems.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Candela: Stockholm-based maker of electric hydrofoiling boats (C-7, C-8, P-30 ferry). Directly competes with SeaBubbles on zero-emission hydrofoiling vessels for water taxi and private use cases using the same fundamental technology.
• Navier: US company building electric hydrofoiling boats aimed at coastal commuting and water taxi use. Mirrors SeaBubbles' value proposition of zero-emission, low-wake electric hydrofoils for urban water mobility.
• Artemis Technologies: Northern Irish developer of hydrofoiling electric vessels (EF-12 Passenger, EF-20 Workboat). Targets commercial passenger and workboat operators with the same hydrofoiling architecture as SeaBubbles.

Emerging players

• Zeabuz: Norwegian spin-out from NTNU developing autonomous, electric, hydrofoiling urban ferries. Overlaps with SeaBubbles' water-taxi use case but adds autonomy, making it an adjacent emerging player in the same category.
• Boundary Layer Technologies: Hydrofoiling electric boat startup focused on commercial and defence applications. Uses the same hydrofoiling approach as SeaBubbles but with a different customer emphasis, making it an emerging comparable.
• X Shore: Swedish manufacturer of all-electric leisure boats (X Shore 1, Eelroad). Competes in the same general electric boat category as SeaBubbles but without the hydrofoiling differentiation, making it a partial overlap.
• Vision Marine Technologies: Canadian company specializing in electric outboard propulsion and electric boats. Provides electrified powertrains and boats relevant to the same zero-emission water mobility category where SeaBubbles competes.

Broad incumbents

• Torqeedo: Established German supplier of electric marine propulsion systems (motors, batteries, hybrid drives). Sells enabling components broadly across the marine industry rather than finished hydrofoiling boats, so it is an incumbent enabling-adjacent comparable to SeaBubbles.
• Hinckley Yachts: Long-established US boatbuilder that has launched electric day boats (Hinckley Dasher). Competes in a broader premium boating category than SeaBubbles, but represents an incumbent moving into electric propulsion relevant to SeaBubbles' space.

Regional players

• Duffy Electric Boat Company: US-based builder of small electric leisure boats for harbors, lakes and canals. Operates in the same zero-emission small-craft category as SeaBubbles but in a different geography and with non-hydrofoiling designs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SeaBubbles
• Facebookfacebook.com/SeaBubbles-1131542070223449

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

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 SeaBubbles