Project CETI

What Project CETI does

Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in March 2020 by Dr. David Gruber, headquartered in New York with research operations in Dominica in the Eastern Caribbean. Its mission is to listen to and translate the communication of sperm whales using advanced machine learning and robotics. The organization runs a multi-phase pipeline: Phase One uses aerial drones, autonomous underwater gliders equipped with a proprietary "Backseat Driver" system, bio-inspired suction-cup tags modeled on clingfish/suckerfish biology, and Core Whale Listening Stations (five recording units with 28 hydrophones each, capturing roughly 3TB/month) to collect synchronized acoustic, behavioral, and movement data from 200+ individually identified whales; Phase Two processes and annotates this data; Phase Three applies machine learning — including a custom GAN-based click analyzer, the AVATARS reinforcement learning framework for autonomous drone rendezvous, and WhAM, the first transformer-based generative model of sperm whale codas presented at NeurIPS 2025.

The underlying data asset is 400+ million sperm whale coda recordings and 20+ years of photo-identification data from the Dominica Sperm Whale Project, which has yielded peer-reviewed breakthroughs including combinatorial and contextual structure in codas (Nature Communications, 2024) and a documented phonetic alphabet with vowel-like patterns (Proceedings B, 2025). Research is executed by a network of 50+ scientists across 15 institutions and 9 countries — including MIT CSAIL, Harvard, UC Berkeley, Oxford, University of Haifa, Google Research, and DeepMind-affiliated researchers.

The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial. Revenue comes primarily from foundation grants and major-donor contributions (The Audacious Project, National Geographic Society, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Dalio Philanthropies/OceanX, Oceankind, Standard Industries), in-kind cloud and AI support from AWS and Google Research, individual donations processed via every.org, and a small merchandise line ($35 t-shirts, $30 tote bags) with proceeds directed to research. 78% of the budget funds research directly, with a 2024 allocation of 67% program / 30% management / 3% fundraising. Customers, in the funder sense, are concentrated among a small number of anchor institutional donors and the host Government of Dominica, which partnered with CETI to establish the world's first sperm whale reserve. Adjacent outreach includes the Dominica Marine Conservation Fellowship (12 graduates to date), a 2024 Eco-Fit Youth Program with the Ashley Lashley Foundation, and cross-sector brand collaborations (D.S. & DURGA perfume, MoMA / Joan Jonas installation).

Name

Project CETI

Legal name

Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative)

Website

https://projectceti.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Project CETI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit applying machine learning, autonomous underwater gliders, bio-inspired robotic tags, and generative AI models to decode sperm whale communication off Dominica, serving the global scientific research and marine conservation communities through open-source data and publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife & Animal Care Volunteering (EDAIAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nature, Science & Wildlife Documentaries (MPADADAF)

Keywords

• Marine biology research
• Cetacean acoustic monitoring
• Bioacoustics analysis
• Machine learning translation
• Marine conservation technology

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Project CETI is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that relies primarily on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate philanthropists to fund research and community initiatives.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts ($35) and tote bags ($30). Proceeds from merchandise sales are donated to CETI's research work.
3. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Major donors and foundation funding from organizations including The Audacious Project, National Geographic Society, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Project CETI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit scientific research organization that applies advanced machine learning and state-of-the-art robotics to listen to and translate the communication of sperm whales. Its core research program operates in Dominica in the Eastern Caribbean, where it monitors over 200 whales using custom bio-inspired tags, autonomous underwater gliders, hydrophone listening stations, and aerial drones, and analyzes 400+ million recorded sperm whale coda clicks using AI models such as the WhAM transformer. Public-facing outputs include the 'Listen to the Whales' engagement platform, scientific publications, and conservation policy advocacy that led to the establishment of the world's first sperm whale reserve.

Product overview

Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) is a nonprofit scientific research and conservation organization, not a commercial product company. Its core offering is the research program to decode sperm whale communication using advanced machine learning and robotics. The primary public engagement product is the 'Listen to the Whales' platform for sharing whale recordings. Research infrastructure includes Core Whale Listening Stations (underwater acoustic monitoring systems), CETI Whale Tags (bio-inspired suction-cup attachment devices for data collection), CETI SeaExplorer Gliders (autonomous underwater vehicles with Backseat Driver capability), and aerial drones. Supporting software includes Whale Tales for video analysis and WhAM (Whale Acoustics Model) for generative AI of whale vocalizations. The organization also offers merchandise (T-shirts, tote bags) as fundraising items, with proceeds supporting research. All research findings and data are shared open-source with the scientific community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Listen to the Whales Platform A public-facing web platform that lets global audiences listen to sperm whale recordings, explore CETI's research, and engage with whale communication discoveries. Targeted at the general public, science enthusiasts, and supporters of marine conservation.
• Project CETI T-Shirt Official CETI team t-shirt (100% black cotton) priced at $35.00 USD, featuring a design by graffiti artist Calicho Arevalo; worn by CETI's field team in Dominica. 100% of proceeds support CETI's research. Targeted at supporters and consumers.
• Project CETI Tote Bag Limited-edition woven tote bag priced at $30.00 USD, designed by Dominican artist Jenae Bell in partnership with the Waitukubuli Artist Association. Made of 80% recycled cotton and 20% recycled polyester. Proceeds support CETI's research.

Quantifiable outcome

• First discovery of vowel-like and diphthong-like patterns in sperm whale communication
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and strategic.

• Ashley Lashley FoundationsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 October 2024Partnership for Eco-Fit Youth Program bringing environmental education to 10 primary schools in Dominica.
• Waitukubuli Artist AssociationsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 August 2024Dominican artist association partnership creating merchandise designs and murals featuring CETI's whale research themes.
• D.S. & DURGAsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 June 2024Collaboration to create LET'S DIVE perfume, a tribute to sperm whales using sustainable synthetic ambergris. Brings CETI's story to new audiences through creative collaboration.
• National Geographic SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship partnership integrated across National Geographic's four pillars: Science, storytelling, local capacity development/education, and research. Includes co-created curriculum for Marine Conservation Fellowship, Photo Camps, exploration technology deployment, and policy advocacy that led to establishing the world's first sperm whale reserve in Dominica.
• MIT CSAILcoreTechnology or IntegrationRobotics and machine learning research partnership. Includes work on autonomous systems, AI models for whale communication, and theoretical analysis of communication systems.
• Harvard UniversitycoreTechnology or IntegrationRobotics research collaboration including Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory for whale tag development, reinforcement learning frameworks for whale tracking, and bio-inspired suction cup technology.
• University of California BerkeleycoreTechnology or IntegrationLinguistics research and machine learning theory partnership. Dr. Gašper Beguš leads linguistics team; hosts Decoding Communication workshops at Simons Institute.
• University of HaifacoreTechnology or IntegrationUnderwater acoustics research led by Prof. Roee Diamant. Includes development of Core Whale Listening Stations and glider systems.
• Google ResearchcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical partnership including staff volunteers on the CETI team and access to cloud computing resources for AI model training.
• Government of DominicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost nation partnership for research operations. Led to establishment of world's first sperm whale reserve. Includes field station, local hires, and conservation fellowship program.
• Dominica Sperm Whale ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term sperm whale research project providing 20+ years of photo-identification data and biological expertise for CETI's studies.
• NYU School of Law MOTH ProgramstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on legal and ethical principles for nonhuman animal communication technologies (NACTs) and exploration of how whale communication research could lead to legal change.
• Oxford UniversitycoreTechnology or IntegrationMachine learning research partnership with Dr. Michael Bronstein as DeepMind Professor of AI.
• Aarhus UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership contributing to cetacean behavior and communication studies.
• Baruch CollegesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with professor David Gruber's institution providing research leadership.
• Carleton UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership contributing to marine science studies.
• CENTAIsupportingTechnology or IntegrationResearch partnership in complex systems and computational analysis for understanding whale communication.
• Simons Institute for the Theory of ComputingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institute co-hosting annual Decoding Communication in Non-Human Species workshops, inspired by the 1956 Dartmouth Workshop where AI was formed.
• Amazon Web ServicessupportingTechnology or IntegrationCloud computing partnership including acceptance into AWS Open Data Program for sharing open-source whale data with international research community.
• Joan Jonas / MoMAsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerArt collaboration with renowned mixed media artist Joan Jonas for MoMA retrospective 'To Touch Sound' video installation highlighting sperm whales and underwater sound.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Earth Species Project: Berkeley-based nonprofit RSE that uses machine learning to decode animal communication across multiple species. This is the closest direct competitor in mission, structure (nonprofit scientific research), and technology stack; CETI and Earth Species Project vie to be the field-defining org in AI-driven animal language decoding.
• SETI Institute: Nonprofit research organization dedicated to searching for and characterizing non-human intelligence and signals from space. Highly comparable in operating model (nonprofit science org), exploratory mission on non-human communication, and interdisciplinary approach combining signal processing, AI, and biology.
• OceanX: Ocean-exploration nonprofit funded by Dalio Philanthropies (also a CETI funder). OceanX combines advanced marine research vessels, media production, and conservation storytelling, mirroring CETI's blend of proprietary ocean technology, scientific discovery, and public engagement (e.g., MoMA and Pioneer Works-style programming).

Broad incumbents

• Allen Institute for Brain Science: Philanthropically funded nonprofit running large-scale, open-data neuroscience research programs. Comparable in operating model (nonprofit, open-data philosophy, interdisciplinary teams) but focused on neural circuits rather than animal communication; a useful benchmark for scale and infrastructure ambition.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI): Established nonprofit oceanographic research org operating autonomous underwater vehicles, advanced sensors, and deep-sea observatories. Comparable in marine robotics, autonomous platforms, and ocean acoustics, though broader in scope than CETI's cetacean focus.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI): The largest independent ocean research institution, with deep expertise in marine animal bioacoustics and autonomous platforms. Comparable in marine mammal acoustics, autonomous robotics (REMUS-class vehicles), and peer-reviewed output, but operates as a much larger, broader research enterprise.

Emerging players

• Wild Me / Wildbook: Nonprofit building open-source AI for wildlife photo-identification and population monitoring across species. Comparable in applying computer vision and ML to animal behavior and identity data, but focused on identification rather than communication decoding.

Regional players

• Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute: Nonprofit marine mammal and ecosystem research organization. Comparable in cetacean research, bioacoustic methods, and conservation advocacy; primarily serves U.S. waters rather than the Eastern Caribbean where CETI operates.

Others

• National Geographic Society: CETI's flagship strategic partner and a global nonprofit that funds exploration, storytelling, and conservation science. Adjacent rather than competitive - National Geographic provides funding, four-pillar integration, and media reach rather than competing for the same research output.
• DeepMind: Google-owned AI research lab and CETI technology collaborator (staff volunteers). Not a direct competitor, but an adjacent frontier-AI organization whose work on sequence models and reinforcement learning directly informs CETI's WhAM and AVATARS frameworks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/projectceti
• GitHubgithub.com/Project-CETI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClfSkFo67HQ93JxEz-Cfzhw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/projectceti
• Instagraminstagram.com/projectceti
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProjectCETI

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Project CETI