Reefgen

What Reefgen does

Reefgen is a San Francisco-headquartered robotics company founded in 2021 that develops and deploys underwater robots for marine ecosystem restoration. Its core technology is a family of proprietary underwater vehicles — the Grasshopper platform (versions 1 and 2) for mechanized seagrass planting, and the Kora robotic coral planter — that inject seeds or plant coral plugs directly into seabed sediment, replacing labor-intensive traditional restoration methods. The Grasshopper 2 robot holds 20,000 seeds per mission and delivered a measured 300% efficiency improvement across two Milford Haven Waterway deployments in Wales. Reefgen delivers these robots to customers through a Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model under multi-year, project-based contracts, with stakeholders investing upfront deployment capital to meet coastal mitigation and restoration goals. Customers and partners include the Washington Department of Natural Resources (10,000-acre kelp and eelgrass restoration in Puget Sound), the Washington Commissioner of Public Lands, the Seagrass Ocean Rescue Upscaling Project (SORUP) in Wales, an Indonesian conservation non-profit in Bali, and supporters including NSF, Grantham Foundation, Builders Vision, Schmidt Marine, and Ocean Sustaining. Operations span the United States (Hawaii, California, Washington, North Carolina), Wales, and Indonesia, with a complementary crowdfunding channel through Dollar Donation Club.

Name

Reefgen

Legal name

Reefgen

Website

https://reefgen.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Reefgen is a San Francisco-based robotics company founded in 2021 that builds and deploys underwater robots — the Grasshopper seagrass planter and Kora coral planter — through a Robotics-as-a-Service model for government agencies, restoration practitioners, and coastal communities globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coastal Restoration Services

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Underwater Robotics (USVs/UUVs) (HDAAAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Marine robotics
• Underwater restoration robots
• Seagrass restoration
• Coral reef planting
• Coastal ecosystem services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS): Stakeholders and Reefgen design and execute RaaS model with local workforce enablement, restoration, and deployment milestones. Stakeholders invest upfront deployment capital to meet mitigation and restoration goals at a fraction of current costs.
2. Government Contracts: Direct contracts with government agencies for coastal restoration projects. Examples include Washington DNR for 10,000 acres of kelp and eelgrass restoration.
3. Crowdfunding/Donations: Partnership with Dollar Donation Club for crowdfunding campaign. Donations fund underwater robots at $1 plants 7 seagrass seeds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Reefgen develops and deploys proprietary underwater robots (Grasshopper 1, Grasshopper 2, and Kora) that mechanize seagrass and coral planting at scale. The company offers these systems through a Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, executing restoration projects for government agencies, conservation organizations, and coastal communities while enabling local workforce participation.

Product overview

Reefgen offers a portfolio of underwater robotic systems for ocean restoration, centered on the Grasshopper robot platform (available in Grasshopper 1 and Grasshopper 2 versions) and the Kora coral planter. These are offered through a Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model that enables stakeholders and practitioners to access mechanized seagrass and coral planting technology without upfront capital investment. The Grasshopper robots automate seed delivery into seabed sediment, while Kora handles coral plug planting. The RaaS platform includes ecosystem evaluation, nursery planting services, and local workforce enablement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grasshopper: An underwater robot that makes large scale ocean restoration possible by mechanizing seagrass and coral planting.
• Grasshopper 1
• Grasshopper 2
• Kora
• Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS)

Products and services

• Grasshopper An underwater robot platform that mechanizes seagrass and coral planting, reducing costs and risks while increasing speed and accessibility for restoration practitioners worldwide. Available in Grasshopper 1 and Grasshopper 2 versions.
• Grasshopper 2 Second-generation seagrass planter robot that delivers seeds into seabed sediment. Can hold 20,000 seeds mixed with mud and inject them into the seabed. Deployed in Wales, Washington, and North Carolina.
• Kora Robotic coral planter that successfully plants standard coral plugs in high-energy wave environments. First deployed in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawaii.
• Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) A service platform that enables restoration practitioners, coastal communities, and stakeholders to access scalable robotic technology for cost-effective restoration and capacity building. Includes local workforce enablement and deployment milestones.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300% increase in planting efficiency in Wales deployments
• +4 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Dollar Donation ClubcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerReefgen partnered with Dollar Donation Club to launch a crowdfunding campaign for underwater robots. Every $1 donated plants 7 seagrass seeds. Donors get to vote on robot names and access to internal blog with latest updates. One donor wins the honor of naming a robot.
• Indonesian Conservation Non-profitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReefgen established a partnership with an Indonesian conservation non-profit in Bali to increase capacity in Southeast Asia. Deployments of Grasshopper 1 for reef mapping, monitoring, and seagrass shoot planting are ongoing. The system remains in Bali with the team for testing.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coral Vita: Coral Vita operates tech-enabled coral reef restoration with a commercial, science-backed model. Closest peer on the marine restoration side, sharing Reefgen's blend of biology, technology, and impact-driven commercial deployment.
• Saildrone: Saildrone builds wind- and solar-powered autonomous surface vehicles for ocean data collection, including environmental and climate monitoring missions. Comparable to Reefgen as a marine-autonomy hardware company commercializing through service-style contracts with government and scientific customers.
• RanMarine Technology: Ranmarine makes autonomous surface drones (WasteSharks) for cleaning marine debris. It shares Reefgen's model of purpose-built marine robots deployed as a service for environmental restoration outcomes.
• Open Ocean Robotics: Open Ocean Robotics builds autonomous, solar-powered USVs for ocean monitoring and conservation. Comparable as a marine autonomy hardware company serving environmental and government end markets.
• Bedrock Ocean: Bedrock Ocean operates autonomous underwater vehicles for high-resolution seafloor and marine-environment surveys. Like Reefgen, it combines purpose-built marine robotics with project-based delivery to government and infrastructure customers.

Others

• The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy runs large marine and coastal restoration programs globally and is a potential channel partner or customer for Reefgen's RaaS platform. Adjacent rather than competitive, but defines the buyer ecosystem Reefgen sells into.

Broad incumbents

• Deep Trekker: Deep Trekker manufactures underwater ROVs used across inspection, aquaculture, and environmental applications. Overlaps with Reefgen as an underwater robotics OEM, but serves a broader portfolio of use cases rather than restoration specifically.
• Saab Seaeye: Saab Seaeye is an established subsea robotic vehicle manufacturer serving offshore, defense, and inspection markets. Comparable as a deep-pocketed incumbent that could move into Reefgen's restoration niche if economics prove attractive.
• Liquid Robotics: Liquid Robotics (acquired by Boeing) makes wave-powered autonomous marine vehicles. It overlaps with Reefgen as a marine-autonomy hardware vendor but operates at broader scale and longer endurance than Reefgen's shallow-water planting niche.

Emerging players

• Reef Renewal International: Reef Renewal International is a non-profit scaling active coral reef restoration. Adjacent to Reefgen as a marine restoration operator, but uses manual and diver-based techniques rather than autonomous robotics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reefgensf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Reefgen