What Sailowtech does

Sailowtech is a non-profit, student-led association founded in 2022 and hosted at the EPFL campus in Lausanne, Switzerland. It organizes scientific sailing expeditions that collect marine and freshwater data while functioning as field laboratories for the design and testing of low-cost, open-source scientific instruments. Its flagship developments are the Planktoscope, an accessible plankton-imaging platform, and KOSMOS, an underwater camera, both built from off-the-shelf components with open-source documentation. The association has run multi-location programs including Atlantea (Atlantic, October 2023), Alpine Lake I/II (Swiss lakes), Arvor (with Fondation Pacifique, summer 2024), and has announced Camp Océan (2026) for K-12 outreach.

The organization serves three overlapping constituencies: (i) academic and citizen-science researchers who can use or co-develop its low-cost instruments; (ii) schools and the general public reached through educational events and open documentation; and (iii) institutional partners such as CNRS, Lacoscope, Under The Pole, and Explore., which supply scientific guidance, co-funding, and field capacity. Professional sailor Justine Mettraux serves as ambassador, lending public visibility. Operations are driven by EPFL student projects and volunteer effort rather than paid staff.

Sailowtech's funding model is grant- and donation-based: confirmed inflows include a 10,000 CHF U-Change student-sustainability grant and in-kind support from academic and foundation partners. There is no disclosed commercial pricing, subscription, or licensing revenue; the open-source instruments are distributed freely. The business model therefore resembles a research-and-outreach non-profit, scaling through grant capture, partnership volume, and educational programming rather than product sales.

Name

Sailowtech

Legal name

Sailowtech

Website

https://sailowtech.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sailowtech is a Lausanne-based, EPFL-affiliated non-profit association that runs student-led scientific sailing expeditions and develops open-source, low-cost marine instruments such as the Planktoscope and KOSMOS underwater camera. It serves schools, research partners, and the public via educational outreach, funded primarily through grants, foundations, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Science Research and Education (Non-Profit)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational Cruises & Shipboard Learning Programs (THAKAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sailing, Catamaran & Day-Cruise Excursions (nature-focused) (THAAAIAG), Water & Marine Guiding Services (Kayak, Canoe, Raft, SUP, Sailing) (THAAALAB)

Keywords

• Marine science expeditions
• Low-tech scientific instruments
• Ocean conservation education
• Open science tools
• Student-led field research

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships: Financial and material support from corporate sponsors including EPFL, Forum EPFL, Romande Energie, HARSCH, and Bertarelli Foundation.
2. Donations: Individual donations from supporters, with funds allocated to expedition projects or general organizational needs.
3. Institutional Grants: Funding from institutional programs such as the U Change program (10,000 CHF award) supporting student initiatives for sustainable development.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sailowtech is a Swiss non-profit association that conducts student-led scientific sailing expeditions to study aquatic ecosystems, develops frugal low-tech scientific instruments and open-science tools for participatory marine research, and delivers educational outreach and public awareness programs about ocean conservation. Its core activities are organized around field expeditions (Atlantea, Alpine Lake, Arvor), EPFL semester projects via the MAKE program, and awareness events such as Camp Océan and Camp Low-Tech.

Product overview

Sailowtech is a non-profit association based at EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne) that combines sailing expeditions with marine science and low-tech instrument development. The organization operates as a unified mission-driven initiative comprising: (1) scientific expeditions aboard sailing vessels to study plankton and ocean ecosystems; (2) development and use of low-tech, open-source scientific instruments including the Planktoscope and KOSMOS underwater camera; (3) open science tools and methodologies for participatory data collection; and (4) educational outreach programs including school workshops, pedagogical materials, and public awareness events such as Camp Océan and Camp Low-Tech. Sailowtech is not a software or technology product company but rather an expedition and science education organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scientific Expeditions (Atlantea, Alpine Lake, Arvor) Student-led scientific sailing expeditions conducted by Sailowtech to collect plankton and ocean biodiversity data using low-tech instruments aboard sailing vessels. Expeditions include Atlantea (Atlantic Ocean, 2023–2024), Alpine Lake and Alpine Lake II (Lake Geneva, 2024 and 2025), and Arvor (Atlantic, 2024). They are intended for participating students, partner research institutions, and the general public following their progress.
• Low-Tech Scientific Instruments Frugal, low-tech scientific instruments designed and deployed by Sailowtech to deliver rigorous and standardized measurements under field conditions, making marine science more accessible and environmentally friendly. The portfolio includes the Planktoscope (an open-source plankton observation instrument from FairScope) and the KOSMOS underwater camera (an open-source underwater biodiversity imaging system originally designed by Konk Ar Lab and Ifremer). These instruments are used on Sailowtech's expeditions and shared with the broader scientific community.
• Open Science Tools Open-science tools and methodologies developed and shared by Sailowtech to enable participatory and accessible data collection in marine research, providing the broader scientific and public communities with shared resources for field-science investigations.
• Awareness and Education Programs Educational outreach programs delivered by Sailowtech, comprising in-school workshops and pedagogical materials on topics such as plankton and PFAS, public awareness events including Camp Océan and Camp Low-Tech, and initiatives such as Coding Club for Girls and SPS–CERN 'Women and Girls in Science and Technology' workshops. These programs target school-aged children, university communities, and the general public to raise awareness about ocean conservation and the low-tech philosophy.
• Semester Projects (EPFL MAKE Program) Credited semester projects offered by Sailowtech to EPFL students through the institute's interdisciplinary MAKE program, covering topics such as marine science, low-tech instrument development, and field research. Each cycle recruits students for 4 to 10 projects, providing hands-on academic credit for work that supports Sailowtech's expeditions and instrumentation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 students trained in field science per expedition
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPFL provides academic structure and institutional support through its MAKE interdisciplinary project program. Multiple EPFL laboratories support Sailowtech's scientific work including EML, Dudin Lab, SENSE Lab, Genorobotics, and Central Environmental Laboratory. The Service de Promotion des Sciences provides pedagogical support for educational outreach.
• Ocean TrottercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOcean Trotter, a French association focused on science and awareness for ocean preservation, lent their sailboat 'Carlina' for the Atlantea expedition. This partnership enabled the first major expedition with a floating laboratory.
• Fondation PacifiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneva-based non-profit organization conducting multidisciplinary oceanographic expeditions on traditional work sailboats. Collaborated with Sailowtech on the Arvor expedition using their vessel Mauritius.
• CNRScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench National Centre for Scientific Research provides scientific guidance and support. Notable advisors include Colomban De Vargas (Tara Mission Scientific Director), Noan Le Bescot (Plankton Planet Program Manager), and other researchers.
• Under The PolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnder The Pole, co-founded by Emmanuelle Perié-Bardout, provides expertise in underwater exploration combining scientific research, innovation, and awareness. Emmanuelle serves as godmother of the Atlantea expedition.
• Explore.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation by Roland Jourdain (Vendée Globe winner) supporting positive initiatives for humans and the planet. Partners for Camp Océan events following the spirit of Explore. ocean camps.
• FairScopesupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvider of the Planktoscope instrument used for plankton species identification during expeditions.
• Lacoscope (CNRS)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Sailowtech during Alpine Lake II expedition to evaluate plankton species heterogeneity in various zones of Lake Léman.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ocean Trotter: French association conducting sailing-based science and ocean-awareness missions. Directly comparable: same sailing-platform-for-science model, lent its sailboat Carlina to Sailowtech for the Atlantea expedition.
• Tara Ocean Foundation: French non-profit running large-scale sailing oceanographic expeditions (the schooner Tara) to study plankton and marine ecosystems. Highly comparable to Sailowtech: citizen-science sailing model, plankton research focus, partnerships with CNRS, and strong educational outreach mission.
• Sailors for the Sea: International ocean-conservation non-profit using the sailing community as a delivery channel for marine awareness. Comparable in using sailing as the engagement platform and educational outreach as the primary impact mechanism.
• Sea Education Association: US-based organization running credited sea-going semester programs aboard sailing vessels, combining ocean science research with undergraduate education. Comparable in the credited-semester-shipboard-learning chassis that Sailowtech replicates via EPFL's MAKE program.
• Fondation Pacifique: Geneva-based non-profit running multidisciplinary oceanographic expeditions on traditional work sailboats. Directly comparable to Sailowtech's expedition model; co-collaborated on the Arvor expedition using its vessel Mauritius.
• Under The Pole: French organization combining underwater exploration, sailing expeditions, and scientific research, co-founded by Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout who is already godmother of Sailowtech's Atlantea expedition. Directly comparable mission architecture and expedition-based science model.

Emerging players

• Adventure Scientists: US non-profit engaging adventurers and outdoor participants in scientific data collection. Comparable low-tech, field-deployable, volunteer-driven citizen-science model, though broader than marine-only.
• Plastic Pirates: European student-led citizen-science program engaging young participants in riverine and marine microplastic research. Closely comparable education-first, volunteer-driven, school-outreach-anchored citizen-science model, though focused on microplastics rather than plankton.

Broad incumbents

• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: One of the largest dedicated ocean science research institutions globally. Comparable research focus on plankton and ocean health, and overlapping scientific advisors (CNRS-adjacent networks); operates at vastly larger scale and is a potential downstream research user of Sailowtech's open data.
• National Geographic Society: Large global non-profit funding exploration and science including ocean conservation. Comparable mission framing (exploration + science + education), but vastly broader portfolio and deeper funding base than Sailowtech.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_SZC9cb-TP0uPJfP6kbrJQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sailowtech
• Instagraminstagram.com/sailowtech?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sailowtech