What Sitkana does

Sitkana is a Juneau, Alaska-based private hardware company founded in 2021 by Lance McMullan that designs and sells modular hydrokinetic generator systems for capturing electricity from ocean tidal currents. Its core technology consists of two products: the POD (Power-generating Ocean Device), a modular ~2 kW unit whose rear rotor biomimetically steers the device into the current like a salmon tail, and the ORCA (Ocean Renewable Current Array), a floating anchored platform suspending stacked chains of PODs to deliver 12 kW+ per array, scalable to megawatt-scale installations of hundreds of ORCAs. Systems are constructed from recyclable ABS thermoplastic, designed for slow-rotor operation to limit wildlife impact, and installed in hours using removable anchors without underwater foundations or divers, operating at 5-knot currents with a stated roadmap toward sub-2-knot operation via scaled manufacturing. Sitkana sells direct via a quote-based model, shipping individual PODs worldwide while restricting ORCA arrays to the Southeast Alaska operational region due to marine permitting requirements, the need for locally trained fishermen to swap PODs, and continuous customer-service demands.

Commercially, the company has not disclosed revenue and operates with 1–10 employees. Its funding stack is dominated by non-dilutive grants and small awards, including roughly $305K from the National Science Foundation (August 2025), $105K and $70K from the U.S. Department of Energy (2024 and 2023), $60K from Sandia National Laboratories (2024), $20K led by Spruce Root (February 2025), $90K from 49th State Angel Fund (2023), and a $40K Path to Prosperity competition award (February 2025). Strategic partnerships with Sandia National Laboratories, PNNL, the University of Washington, and TEAMER (Ocean Energy) anchor its R&D ecosystem, while press coverage, the company Substack, and a monthly newsletter support top-of-funnel awareness. Customer segmentation spans off-grid individuals, remote communities, and coastal cities (primary), with secondary targets in aquaculture, datacenters, and green hydrogen production.

Name

Sitkana

Legal name

Sitkana

Website

https://sitkana.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sitkana is a Juneau, Alaska-based private hardware company that designs and sells modular hydrokinetic POD and ORCA tidal-current generator systems to off-grid individuals, remote communities, coastal cities, and industrial buyers. It sells direct via quote, ships PODs worldwide, and restricts ORCA arrays to Southeast Alaska.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Renewable Energy / Tidal Energy Systems

NAICS

Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units Manufacturing (333611)

SIC

Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Hydrokinetic R&D (Tidal, Wave, River Current, OTEC) (EUAMAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine Power Generation & Energy Storage (Generators, Batteries, UPS) (IMAJAJAB)

Keywords

• Tidal energy systems
• Hydrokinetic generators
• Marine renewable energy
• Ocean current power
• Modular tidal turbines

Headquarters

HQ city

Juneau

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. POD Sales: Individual POD hydrokinetic generators are sold directly to customers. Customers can swap out used devices for new ones, suggesting a product ownership model with ongoing replacement cycle.
2. ORCA System Sales: Larger ORCA arrays (12kW+) sold as complete floating power generation systems for coastal installations. Multiple ORCA systems can be installed together to achieve megawatt-scale power generation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sitkana develops and sells modular hydrokinetic generator systems that capture energy from ocean tidal currents. Its core products are the POD (Power-generating Ocean Device), a 2kW modular generator unit, and the ORCA (Ocean Renewable Current Array), a floating anchored system that combines multiple PODs to produce 12kW+ per array and scale to megawatt installations. The systems are designed for installation in hours without underwater foundations, using slow-spinning wildlife-safe rotors built from recyclable ABS plastic.

Product overview

Sitkana offers a modular, scalable portfolio of hydrokinetic energy products centered on two core offerings: the POD (Power-generating Ocean Device), a 2kW modular hydrokinetic generator unit, and the ORCA (Ocean Renewable Current Array), a scalable system combining multiple PODs to produce 12kW+ per array. The POD serves as the fundamental building block—individual units can be shipped worldwide for personal use—while ORCA arrays aggregate multiple PODs beneath floating platforms for commercial, community, and industrial installations. This modular architecture allows solutions ranging from individual off-grid power to utility-scale installations capable of producing 1MW+.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• POD: Power-generating Ocean Device - a modular hydrokinetic generator unit with a rear rotor that constantly steers the system into the current.
• ORCA

Products and services

• POD (Power-generating Ocean Device)

Quantifiable outcome

• 174 TWh per year of tidal energy potential in Alaska alone
• +5 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sandia National LaboratoriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSandia National Laboratories is listed as a trusted marine energy expert partner, indicating a collaborative relationship in research and development of marine energy technology.
• TEAMER (Ocean Energy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEAMER (Ocean Energy) is listed as a trusted marine energy expert partner, indicating collaboration in advancing ocean energy technology.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is listed as a trusted marine energy expert partner, indicating collaboration in marine energy research and development.
• University of Washington (UW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Washington is listed as a trusted marine energy expert partner, suggesting academic research collaboration in hydrokinetic technology.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Minesto: Swedish developer of the Deep Green tidal kite, a subsea hydrokinetic device that generates electricity from low-velocity tidal and ocean currents. Comparable to Sitkana in pursuing modular, subsea hydrokinetic generation for predictable baseload marine power.
• Verdant Power: US (NYC-based) tidal energy company with the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) project in the East River. Comparable to Sitkana as a North American tidal-current developer working through US marine permitting pathways.
• Carnegie Clean Energy: Australian developer of the CETO wave-energy technology. Comparable to Sitkana as a small-cap, publicly listed ocean-energy hardware developer pursuing modular marine power systems for island/coastal grids.
• Nova Innovation: Scottish tidal energy company with the world's first grid-connected tidal array at Bluemull Sound, Shetland. Comparable to Sitkana as a developer of multi-turbine, arrayed tidal generation in cold, high-current coastal environments.
• Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC): Maine-based US developer of hydrokinetic tidal and river-current turbines with DOE grant funding history. Direct US peer pursuing modular, river-and-tidal current power generation similar to Sitkana's POD/ORCA architecture.
• Orbital Marine Power: Scottish developer of the O2 floating tidal turbine — the world's most powerful operating tidal stream generator. Most directly comparable to Sitkana as a floating, moored, multi-rotor hydrokinetic platform targeting utility-scale marine power.
• SAE Renewables (formerly SIMEC Atlantis Energy): UK-based tidal-stream developer of the AR1500 and Atlantis turbine families, with deployments in Scotland and France. Comparable to Sitkana as a tidal-stream turbine specialist pursuing arrayed, predictable marine power.
• Tocardo (KCI the engineers): Dutch tidal turbine manufacturer known for the T2 and Oceans of Energy floating tidal platforms in the Dutch North Sea. Comparable to Sitkana as a manufacturer of modular, floating hydrokinetic turbines.

Emerging players

• Hydro Green Energy: US developer of hydrokinetic river and tidal turbines. Comparable to Sitkana as an early-stage US-based hydrokinetic hardware developer targeting similar predictable, water-current power applications.

Broad incumbents

• Magnora ASA (Marine Energy division): Norwegian listed investor/developer with marine energy (floating wind and tidal) holdings. Comparable to Sitkana as a marine renewable-energy platform operator investing in tidal-current technology development and commercialization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sitkana

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors5 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sitkana