What LiftLabs does

LiftLabs is an early-stage hardware company developing ropeless fishing gear designed to eliminate the vertical rope-and-buoy lines that cause North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) entanglements. The company designs, prototypes, and tests acoustic-triggered inflatable lift systems — branded as the Inshore EchoLift (for the Northeast commercial lobster fishery) and the Offshore EchoLift (300lb lift capacity, operational to 600ft depth) — alongside a cross-manufacturer gear-marking mobile application. The system uses acoustic signaling (validated with both Sub Sea Sonics and Teledyne Benthos hardware) to inflate a lift bag on demand, allowing fishermen to retrieve traps in under one minute of active touch time via an automated docking station developed under a 2021 NOAA SBIR grant.

The company's commercial focus is on direct hardware sales to commercial lobster and trap fishermen, with a community-led go-to-market model that relies on dockside demos, co-development with local lobstermen, and inclusion in regulatory gear libraries (Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Maine Department of Marine Resources Ropeless Gear Library). The LiftLabs Mobile App integrates with the rmwHUB collaborative network and NOAA's EarthRanger platform, providing interoperable gear visibility regardless of manufacturer — a deliberate positioning as a standard-compliant vendor rather than a closed ecosystem. To date, the company has been funded primarily through NOAA grant programs (SBIR 2021, BREP 2022, BREP 2024), a 2025 MassVentures investment, and a 2026 Blue Excelerator event, with active testing pilots in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Nova Scotia, and Australia.

Name

LiftLabs

Legal name

LiftLabs

Website

https://liftlabs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LiftLabs designs and tests ropeless fishing gear (Inshore and Offshore EchoLift systems) using acoustic signaling and inflatable lift technology to eliminate whale-entangling vertical ropes, serving commercial lobster and trap fishermen in the US Northeast and Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Fishing Equipment

NAICS

Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537)

akta.pro primary industry

Deck Machinery & Mooring Systems (Winches, Windlasses, Capstans) (IMAJAIAA)

Keywords

• Ropeless fishing gear
• Commercial lobster equipment
• Acoustic release systems
• Whale entanglement prevention
• Marine conservation technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Lowell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EchoLift Hardware Sales: Sale of ropeless fishing gear systems including Inshore EchoLift and Offshore EchoLift products designed for commercial lobster fisheries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LiftLabs designs, manufactures, and sells ropeless fishing gear systems (the EchoLift product line) that allow commercial lobster and trap fishermen to retrieve gear without vertical endlines in the water column. The Inshore EchoLift and Offshore EchoLift use boat-to-gear acoustic signaling to inflate a lift bag that brings the trap to the surface, paired with the LiftLabs Mobile App for gear marking and location tracking. The offering is targeted at commercial fisheries facing regulatory closures related to North Atlantic Right Whale protection.

Product overview

LiftLabs offers a ropeless fishing gear system consisting of two main hardware products and a mobile application. The Inshore EchoLift is designed for the Northeast commercial lobster fishery, attaching to trap tops to eliminate vertical ropes. The Offshore EchoLift is a larger-capacity version (300lb lift, 600ft depth) for offshore fishing grounds, housed in standard commercial lobster trap sleds. Both systems use acoustic signaling to inflate lift bags that raise traps to the surface. The LiftLabs Mobile App, available on iOS and Android, provides gear marking, device retrieval, and integrates with the rmwHUB network for cross-manufacturer ropeless gear visibility and NOAA's EarthRanger platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inshore EchoLift Ropeless lift system designed for the Northeast commercial lobster fishery. Attaches to the top of a trap to remove the vertical rope and buoy, compatible with single and trawl configurations. Includes a docking station that refills the internal air tank and deflates the buoy in under 1 minute of touch time.
• Offshore EchoLift Super-sized ropeless lift system for offshore lobster and fish trap fisheries. Lifts 300lbs, operates at depths up to 600ft (100 fathoms), and is housed in a standard commercial lobster trap sled for protection and deck stacking.
• LiftLabs Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android used for gear marking, device retrieval, and seeing where other ropeless gear is located. Integrated with the rmwHUB collaborative network for cross-manufacturer gear visibility and with EarthRanger for closure area management.

Quantifiable outcome

• NARW population has less than 400 members remaining, 4.3 die annually, 83% have experienced entanglement, calving rates dropped 40% since 2010
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northeast Fisheries Science CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiftLabs gear included in NEFSC gear library. Collaboration with NEFSC team and fishermen for testing and feedback on hardware and software design. NEFSC utilizes EarthRanger for interoperable gear marking.
• Maine Department of Marine ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiftLabs presented gear to be included in Maine DMR's Ropeless Gear Library for fisherman access and testing.
• OceanWatch AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTesting collaboration with OceanWatch Australia to test inshore and upcoming offshore systems in Australian fishery. Coordinated testing with Australian fishermen in NSW region.
• Ropeless Manufacturers Working Group HUB (rmwHUB)coreTechnology or IntegrationCollaborative network of majority ropeless gear manufacturers working together to enable fishermen to identify ropeless gear locations regardless of manufacturer. LiftLabs fully integrated with rmwHUB in their mobile app.
• EarthRangercoreTechnology or IntegrationNOAA working with EarthRanger to develop independent platform for ropeless gear tracking. rmwHUB supports fishermen sharing gear locations with EarthRanger for use in designated closure areas.
• Professional Fisherman's Association NSWminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Professional Fisherman's Association in New South Wales, Australia to coordinate testing with Australian fishermen and facilitate demo sessions.
• Cape Cod Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented at Cape Cod Community College ropeless workshop hosted by Bob Melvin from TestB4Design to promote understanding of ropeless technology and local collaboration.
• TestB4Design (Bob Melvin)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted ropeless workshop at Cape Cod Community College to help promote understanding of ropeless technology and provide opportunities for local collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EdgeTech: EdgeTech designs and manufactures marine acoustic systems including sub-bottom profilers, side-scan sonars, and acoustic releases. It is a relevant peer because it serves the same marine acoustic and underwater equipment buyers and has been active in ropeless fishing pilot programs alongside LiftLabs and other rmwHUB members.
• Scanmar: Scanmar (Norway) is a long-established manufacturer of acoustic release systems and catch-control technology for pot and trap fisheries globally. It competes directly with LiftLabs in ropeless and on-demand gear retrieval, particularly in North Atlantic lobster and crab fisheries with similar entanglement regulatory pressures.
• Teledyne Benthos: Teledyne Benthos (part of Teledyne Marine) produces acoustic release transponders widely used in marine research and commercial fishing. Like Sub Sea Sonics, it is referenced as an acoustic partner in LiftLabs' testing, but it also sells its own ropeless and acoustic-release solutions into the same customer set, making it a direct competitor as well as a technology validator.
• Sub Sea Sonics: Sub Sea Sonics manufactures acoustic release systems used by ropeless fishing gear programs and is one of the acoustic providers validated with LiftLabs' EchoLift. The two companies overlap directly in the Northeast lobster ropeless gear category, including gear library deployments and acoustic interoperability testing.

Broad incumbents

• Sonardyne: Sonardyne is a broader marine technology incumbent supplying acoustic positioning, navigation, and underwater communication systems to offshore energy, defense, and scientific markets. While not focused on ropeless fishing, it competes for the same underlying acoustic underwater-communication IP space and represents the kind of larger player that could enter the ropeless fishing category.
• Kongsberg Maritime: Kongsberg Maritime supplies integrated marine technology including underwater acoustics, sensors, and vessel systems. As a large incumbent with global reach, it represents the type of broader marine technology company that could either partner with or compete against LiftLabs as ropeless gear moves from pilot programs into regulated commercial deployment.

Others

• LGL Limited: LGL Limited is a marine environmental research and consulting firm that conducts entanglement studies, bycatch research, and gear testing for agencies including NOAA and DFO. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant whose ropeless-gear evaluations, gear library work, and regulatory studies directly shape the addressable market for LiftLabs' technology.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 LiftLabs