SEA AI
SEA.AI builds AI-powered maritime machine vision systems using thermal and optical cameras with proprietary deep learning to detect floating objects — vessels, debris, persons overboard — that radar and AIS miss, serving recreational boaters, commercial shipping, coast guards, and naval forces.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLinz, Austria
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SEA AI does
SEA.AI GmbH, founded in 2018 in France as OSCAR and now headquartered in Linz, Austria, builds AI-powered maritime machine vision systems that detect and classify floating objects — unsignalled vessels, debris, containers, persons overboard, and marine mammals — that conventional radar and AIS cannot identify. The company combines long-wave infrared thermal cameras (sensitive to 0.05°C differences) with optical cameras and a proprietary deep learning engine trained on more than 18 million annotated maritime objects, delivering 24/7 detection, classification, and collision-risk scoring. Its four-product portfolio spans the Watchkeeper (motorboats and sailing yachts), Sentry (360° commercial, governmental, and superyacht surveillance), Brain (an AI retrofit module for existing third-party thermal cameras), and Competition (an ultra-lightweight 750g masthead camera with automatic mast rotation compensation for offshore racing).
SEA.AI monetizes through a combined hardware-plus-software model: one-time hardware purchases (starting at €4,199) layered with mandatory annual, three-year, or lifetime AI software subscriptions (ranging from €490 to €16,838 depending on product tier). Distribution runs through a global certified dealer/installer network supplemented by direct enterprise sales for government, naval, and commercial shipping customers. The company maintains six offices across Austria, France, Portugal, the United States, and Australia, and has deployed 1,200+ systems worldwide with a team of 60+ professionals from 15+ nationalities. Customer adoption has been validated in extreme offshore conditions — 18 of 33 boats in the 2020 Vendée Globe used SEA.AI — and the platform is now extending into naval autonomous vessels (USV12 deployment with VN Maritime/Havelsan) and government environmental monitoring (MITECO Spanish whale-detection tender).
SEA AI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SEA AI
- Legal name
- SEA.AI GmbH
- Website
- https://sea.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SEA.AI builds AI-powered maritime machine vision systems using thermal and optical cameras with proprietary deep learning to detect floating objects — vessels, debris, persons overboard — that radar and AIS miss, serving recreational boaters, commercial shipping, coast guards, and naval forces.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SEA AI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Maritime Machine Vision Systems
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine Navigation Systems (ECDIS, Radar, GNSS, AIS) (IMAJAJAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Maritime Security Technology & Systems (CCTV, Radar, AIS, Perimeter Sensors) (BPAKALAI), Maritime Unmanned Systems (USV/UUV) & Control Stations (IMABAKAJ), Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI)
Keywords
Where SEA AI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Linz
- HQ country
- Austria
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
SEA AI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: One-time sale of physical camera systems (Watchkeeper, Sentry, Competition). Hardware includes vision unit, processing unit, cables, and mounting hardware. Professional installation required.
- AI Software Subscriptions: Annual, 3-year, or lifetime software licenses that activate AI detection, intelligent alerts, and advanced features. Without active subscription, system functions only as a camera without AI capabilities. Single one-time payment per subscription period.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Watchkeeper Lite (Daylight Only) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Watchkeeper with Thermal Vision |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Sentry AI License |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Brain AI Upgrade |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Brain Subscription Options |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
SEA AI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SEA.AI manufactures and sells AI-powered maritime machine vision camera systems (Watchkeeper, Sentry, Brain, Competition) that combine LWIR thermal and optical cameras with proprietary deep learning algorithms to detect, classify, and track floating objects at sea in real time. The systems identify vessels, debris, persons overboard, and marine mammals that escape radar and AIS, day and night, and are activated by annual, 3-year, or lifetime AI software subscriptions sold separately from the hardware.
Product overview
SEA.AI offers a portfolio of AI-powered maritime machine vision products designed to detect, classify, and track floating objects on water surfaces. The product line consists of four main systems: Watchkeeper (for motorboats and sailing yachts, available with various thermal camera configurations), Sentry (360° panoramic awareness system for commercial, governmental, and superyacht applications), Brain (AI upgrade module that brings intelligence to existing third-party thermal cameras), and Competition (ultra-lightweight racing-specific system with mast rotation compensation for competitive sailing). All products share core AI technology trained on over 18 million annotated marine objects, combining thermal and optical cameras with proprietary deep learning algorithms. The systems work together with existing marine navigation equipment including MFDs, chart plotters, and NMEA 2000 networks. Software subscriptions provide ongoing AI improvements, new features, and compatibility updates.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Watchkeeper AI-powered visual detection system for motorboats and sailing yachts providing always-on visual watch for detecting vessels, debris, and hazards that AIS and radar miss, available in configurations from daylight-only RGB to thermal vision with multiple resolution options (320×256, 640×512, 1280×512).
- Sentry 360° AI situational awareness system providing continuous all-round visibility for commercial, governmental, and motor yacht applications, featuring a pan-tilt camera with 360° horizontal and 40° vertical movement, automatic perimeter surveillance, target tracking, and collision-avoidance warnings with detection ranges up to 7,500 m for vessels.
- Brain AI processing unit that brings SEA.AI artificial intelligence to existing third-party thermal cameras by processing their images into digital awareness of vessel surroundings, offering three operating modes: Collision Avoidance, 360° Surveillance, and Manual.
- Competition Ultra-lightweight 750g masthead camera system designed specifically for offshore and competitive sailing including rotating masts, featuring automatic mast-rotation compensation, ±50° manual panning, electronic image stabilization, and available in 320 and 640 thermal resolution variants.
- Software Update V4.1 Major software release enabling sharper AI detection, smarter alert zones, and full chart integration across the SEA.AI product family, distributed as a free update to subscribers and unifying AI detections, live video, and chart data for Watchkeeper users on TimeZero Pro.
Quantifiable outcome
- Detects sailing boats up to 7,500m with Sentry; up to 2,500m with Watchkeeper depending on model
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use SEA AI
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SEA AI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
SEA AI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Whale GuardiansminorSEA.AI joined the Whale Guardians international conservation program focused on preventing unintentional ship strikes on whales. SEA.AI contributes thermal detection data and real-time whale sightings from equipped vessels to support the program's data-driven routing recommendations. Thermal cameras can detect surfacing whales invisible to radar, AIS, and human eye at night.
- MITECO (Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition)minorSEA.AI was awarded a MITECO tender to deploy AI vision systems on Spanish vessels for marine mammal (whale) detection. Supports Spain's maritime environmental commitments and marine biodiversity protection.
- Piloda Group / VN Maritime / HavelsancoreSEA.AI Watchkeeper is deployed on the USV12, a 12-metre naval USV developed by VN Maritime and Havelsan (via Piloda Group partnership). Provides fully integrated optical situational awareness for naval USV platforms. Partnership enables SEA.AI entry into naval/autonomous vessel market.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SEA AI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Garmin: Global marine electronics leader offering radar, AIS, chartplotters, and integrated safety systems. A broad incumbent whose product portfolio overlaps with SEA.AI's collision avoidance and situational awareness categories.
- Raymarine (Teledyne FLIR): Major marine electronics brand owned by Teledyne Technologies, offering thermal cameras, radar, and AIS products. Closely comparable as FLIR thermal technology overlaps with SEA.AI's LWIR imaging capability.
- Furuno: Japanese marine electronics manufacturer specializing in radar, sonar, AIS, and navigation equipment for commercial and recreational vessels. Broad incumbent with overlapping navigation-safety offerings.
- Thales Group: Global defense and naval systems integrator with sensor, surveillance, and maritime domain awareness capabilities. Comparable as a defense incumbent that SEA.AI competes with for naval situational awareness contracts.
- L3Harris Technologies: US defense prime with maritime surveillance, sensor, and integrated naval systems capabilities. Comparable as a defense incumbent in maritime domain awareness and counter-USV categories.
- Simrad (Navico): Marine electronics brand under Navico (Brunswick), offering multifunction displays, radar, and AIS for recreational and commercial vessels. Comparable as an established marine electronics supplier with overlapping safety-focused product lines.
- B&G: Sailing-specific marine electronics brand under Navico, focused on yacht racing and cruising instrumentation. Closely comparable to SEA.AI's recreational sailing and IMOCA racing customer base.
Direct peers
- Orca AI: Israeli-based company providing AI-powered situational awareness and collision avoidance for commercial shipping using cameras and computer vision. Most direct peer to SEA.AI in applying machine vision to non-cooperative target detection on vessels.
Emerging players
- Maritime Robotics: Norwegian supplier of autonomous surface vessels (USVs) and marine robotics. Comparable via its USV platform integration and overlap with SEA.AI's naval USV deployment on the Havelsan USV12.
- Sea Machines Robotics: US-based developer of autonomous marine technology and computer vision for commercial vessels. Comparable as an emerging player in AI-driven maritime situational awareness and autonomy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SEA AI social profiles
Digital presenceSEA AI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SEA AI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
SEA AI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SEA AI 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 SEA AI
What does SEA AI do?
SEA.AI manufactures and sells AI-powered maritime machine vision camera systems (Watchkeeper, Sentry, Brain, Competition) that combine LWIR thermal and optical cameras with proprietary deep learning algorithms to detect, classify, and track floating objects at sea in real time. The systems identify vessels, debris, persons overboard, and marine mammals that escape radar and AIS, day and night, and are activated by annual, 3-year, or lifetime AI software subscriptions sold separately from the hardware.
Is SEA AI a public or private company?
SEA AI is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SEA AI founded?
SEA AI was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SEA AI based?
SEA AI is headquartered in Linz, Austria, in the Europe region.
How does SEA AI make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are AI Software Subscriptions.
Who are SEA AI's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Garmin, Raymarine (Teledyne FLIR), Furuno, Thales Group, L3Harris Technologies, Simrad (Navico) and B&G. Orca AI is listed as a direct peer. Emerging players are Maritime Robotics and Sea Machines Robotics.
Does SEA AI have an API?
Yes. SEA.AI offers comprehensive API and interface documentation for system integrators, developers and technical operators looking to connect SEA.AI to third-party platforms, onboard displays or custom maritime software. The API outputs machine-readable data including object classification, relative bearing, and estimated range. Works on all browser-based systems, ready for integration into control rooms via API. Developer documentation is at Not specified.
What industry is SEA AI in?
SEA AI's product category is Maritime Machine Vision Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAJAE, Marine Navigation Systems (ECDIS, Radar, GNSS, AIS), with a secondary code of BPAKALAI, Maritime Security Technology & Systems (CCTV, Radar, AIS, Perimeter Sensors). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.