Quartermaster AI
Quartermaster AI is a private U.S. defense and maritime technology company that deploys AI-powered SmartMast sensors on commercial vessels to build a distributed real-time maritime awareness network, serving governments, navies, offshore energy operators, federal science agencies, and maritime insurers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersArlington, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Quartermaster AI does
Quartermaster AI is a privately held U.S. defense and maritime technology company founded in 2023 and headquartered at 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia. The company develops and operates SmartMast, a vessel-mounted, edge-AI sensing platform that converts commercial vessels greater than 20 gross tons into a distributed maritime awareness network, providing what it describes as the largest such network on the planet — 600+ sensors deployed across 25 countries and four continents, 10 million+ square miles of ocean covered, and 400,000 vessels identified independently of AIS.
SmartMast combines a 360° HD optical/infrared camera array with 31x zoom in an IP68-rated enclosure, dual software-defined radios that capture AIS, ADS-B, VHF voice, and radar signals, onboard edge AI for multimodal vessel detection, activity recognition, and anomaly flagging, and a SATCOM link delivering sub-5-second surface-to-user transmission. The platform packages this into a real-time tracking dashboard, API/application access, and vertical-specific modules — SmartMast for Offshore Energy (environmental impact monitoring, infrastructure safety, oil theft detection, fleet optimization) and SmartMast for Oceanography (Arctic/cryosphere monitoring, ESG/MARPOL compliance data, IUU fisheries enforcement, marine wildlife). Compliance posture includes GDPR and CCPA/CPRA commitments, and export-control language in the Terms of Service.
Quartermaster operates a multi-stream revenue model: a Hardware-as-a-Service arrangement that installs SmartMast free of charge on commercial vessels in exchange for hosting and data (asset-for-data exchange); maritime intelligence and data licensing to governments, insurers, and risk analysts; subscription-based offshore energy and ESG/compliance data programs; federal science data procurement (NOAA, NSF, EPA, ESA, Copernicus); and managed platform services under order-form-based contracts. Pricing is quote-based enterprise, not publicly listed. Primary customer segments are government/defense (coast guards, navies) and offshore energy operators, with secondary segments in federal science, maritime insurance, shipping ESG, RFMOs, and EU programs.
Quartermaster AI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Quartermaster AI
- Legal name
- Quartermaster AI Inc.
- Website
- https://www.quartermaster.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Quartermaster AI is a private U.S. defense and maritime technology company that deploys AI-powered SmartMast sensors on commercial vessels to build a distributed real-time maritime awareness network, serving governments, navies, offshore energy operators, federal science agencies, and maritime insurers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Quartermaster AI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Maritime Domain Awareness Software
- NAICS
- Ship and Boat Building (33661), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Navigational Services to Shipping (48833)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Computer Peripheral Equipment, Nec (3577), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Navigation, Communications & Integrated Bridge Systems Engineering (IMAJAGAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Marine Navigation Systems (ECDIS, Radar, GNSS, AIS) (IMAJAJAE), Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI), Maritime Security Technology & Systems (CCTV, Radar, AIS, Perimeter Sensors) (BPAKALAI), Nautical Safety, Navigation Aids & Hydrographic Services (TLAHAFAE)
Keywords
Where Quartermaster AI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Arlington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Quartermaster AI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Hardware-as-a-Service (SmartMast Fleet Hosting): Mariners receive free SmartMast installation plus included high-bandwidth telecommunications (up to 60GB/month) in exchange for hosting sensors and transmitting data, indicating an asset-for-data exchange model with commercial vessel operators.
- Maritime Intelligence & Data Licensing: Sells structured maritime awareness data, EO/IR imagery, AIS-correlated vessel activity, environmental monitoring data, and IUU encounter logs to government agencies, RFMO bodies, insurers, and maritime risk analysts.
- Offshore Energy Monitoring Subscriptions: Provides offshore energy operators with continuous environmental impact monitoring, infrastructure safety, oil theft/illicit activity detection, and fleet/logistics optimization as integrated platform subscriptions.
- ESG & Compliance Data Programs: Provides audit-ready ESG data aligned to IMO, MARPOL, and emissions reporting frameworks for shipping sustainability teams, structured around ESG compliance calendars.
- Federal Science Agency Data Procurement: Sells oceanographic and environmental datasets to federal science agencies (NOAA, NSF, EPA) and EU programs (ESA, EEA, Copernicus) under procurement contracts.
- Managed Platform Services (Government/Enterprise): Per Terms of Service, paid Services are described in order forms or purchase agreements with hardware, software, and dashboard subscriptions bundled together; fees are non-refundable and may be suspended for non-payment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Quote-based enterprise pricing via contact form |
| Other | — | Free SmartMast installation for commercial vessel hosts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Quartermaster AI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Quartermaster AI develops and operates SmartMast™, an onboard, weather-hardened maritime sensing and edge-compute platform installed on commercial vessels greater than 20 GT. The platform combines HD optical/infrared cameras, dual software-defined radios, onboard edge AI, and low-latency SATCOM to convert commercial fleets into a distributed global maritime awareness network, streaming geo-referenced imagery, AIS-correlated vessel activity, hazard detections, and ESG/compliance data products to cloud dashboards and APIs for government, defense, offshore energy, and scientific customers.
Product overview
Quartermaster AI offers a single integrated platform — SmartMast™ — which combines vessel-mounted HD/IR cameras, dual software-defined radios, onboard AI, and SATCOM into an edge-compute sensing system deployed on commercial vessels greater than 20 GT. The deployed hardware feeds a cloud-based Real-Time Distributed Maritime Awareness Network (with a real-time tracking dashboard and developer/API access) that is then packaged into vertical solutions: SmartMast for Offshore Energy (EIM, asset protection, oil theft detection, fleet optimization) and SmartMast for Oceanography (Arctic, maritime safety, ocean conditions, fisheries/IUU, marine wildlife). The SmartMast Mariners Program is the mariner-facing onboarding program that recruits host vessels into the network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SmartMast: Weather-hardened onboard sensing and edge-compute platform that transforms commercial vessels into nodes in Quartermaster's distributed maritime awareness network. Includes HD/IR cameras, software-defined radios, onboard AI, and SATCOM for near-real-time data transmission.
Products and services
- SmartMast™ Onboard, weather-hardened sensing and edge-compute platform installed on commercial vessels greater than 20 GT, combining HD/IR video, dual software-defined radios (AIS, ADS-B, VHF, radar), onboard AI processing, and SATCOM to transmit structured maritime awareness data in under 5 seconds.
- Real-Time Distributed Maritime Awareness Network / Tracking Dashboard Cloud-based dashboard providing real-time location, heading, and identification data on a customer's fleet and neighboring vessels, delivering HD video feeds and timestamped, authenticated intelligence records.
- SmartMast for Offshore Energy Vertical application of SmartMast for the offshore energy sector, bundling Environmental Impact Monitoring, Infrastructure Safety & Asset Protection, Oil Theft & Illicit Activity Detection, and Fleet & Logistics Optimization around rigs, FPSOs, and subsea infrastructure.
- SmartMast for Oceanography / Environmental Intelligence Vertical application of SmartMast that turns commercial fleets into a distributed ocean observation network for Arctic/cryosphere monitoring, maritime safety, ocean conditions, fisheries & IUU enforcement, and marine wildlife, delivering regulatory-grade ESG, EIM, and scientific data products.
- SmartMast Mariners Program Program inviting commercial vessel operators to host SmartMast free of charge in exchange for real-time threat detection on an onboard display, high-bandwidth internet (up to 60 GB/month), free installation, periodic maintenance, 24/7 app support, and inclusion in the global sensing network.
Companies that use Quartermaster AI
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
Quartermaster AI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability9 records
Feature7 records
Quartermaster AI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Quartermaster AI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HawkEye 360: HawkEye 360 operates a satellite constellation for RF signal geolocation, including maritime domain awareness and dark-vessel detection — directly overlapping with Quartermaster's RF-sensing and non-AIS-vessel identification capabilities but from a space-based rather than vessel-mounted platform.
- ICEYE: ICEYE provides SAR satellite imagery for maritime surveillance, including dark-vessel detection and infrastructure monitoring — a comparable EO/synthetic-aperture alternative to Quartermaster's optical/IR sensing, particularly for offshore-energy and government intelligence customers.
- MarineTraffic: MarineTraffic aggregates AIS and complementary vessel-tracking data into a global platform used by commercial shipping, ports, and analysts — a comparable end-user product, but built on self-reported AIS rather than Quartermaster's onboard EO/IR/RF sensing.
- ThayerMahan: ThayerMahan develops unmanned maritime systems for coastal surveillance, undersea exploration, and maritime domain awareness for defense and homeland-security customers — directly comparable technology stack and customer base to Quartermaster's defense/Coast Guard focus.
- Saildrone: Saildrone builds wind- and solar-powered autonomous surface vessels equipped with sensors to collect ocean and maritime-domain-awareness data, mirroring Quartermaster's vessel-mounted, edge-AI approach to persistent ocean observation at global scale.
- Spire Global (Maritime): Spire Global operates a nanosatellite constellation providing global AIS, weather, and maritime intelligence — a direct competitor for the maritime data and vessel-tracking layer of Quartermaster's offering, with the advantage of space-based coverage and the disadvantage of AIS-only dependence.
Broad incumbents
- Kongsberg Maritime: Kongsberg Maritime is an established maritime technology incumbent offering vessel automation, navigation, and domain-awareness systems to commercial shipping, offshore energy, and naval customers — broader portfolio overlap with Quartermaster's vertical modules.
- Anduril Industries: Anduril is an AI-first defense-technology prime with maritime autonomy and surveillance capabilities, sharing Quartermaster's AI-and-defense DNA; Quartermaster's CGO Steve Ribaudo is an Anduril alumnus, and Anduril represents both a comparable trajectory and a potential competitor in maritime autonomy.
- Saab (Maritime Domain Awareness): Saab provides naval, coastal surveillance, and maritime domain awareness systems to defense customers globally — a long-established prime competitor for the Coast Guard and navy contracts Quartermaster is pursuing.
Emerging players
- LeoLabs: LeoLabs provides commercial space-object tracking and monitoring via a global phased-array radar network — a comparable model of distributed persistent sensing-as-a-service applied to orbital rather than maritime domain awareness, with similar data-licensing economics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Quartermaster AI social profiles
Digital presenceQuartermaster AI compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Quartermaster AI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Quartermaster AI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Quartermaster AI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Quartermaster 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 Quartermaster AI
What does Quartermaster AI do?
Quartermaster AI develops and operates SmartMast™, an onboard, weather-hardened maritime sensing and edge-compute platform installed on commercial vessels greater than 20 GT. The platform combines HD optical/infrared cameras, dual software-defined radios, onboard edge AI, and low-latency SATCOM to convert commercial fleets into a distributed global maritime awareness network, streaming geo-referenced imagery, AIS-correlated vessel activity, hazard detections, and ESG/compliance data products to cloud dashboards and APIs for government, defense, offshore energy, and scientific customers.
Is Quartermaster AI a public or private company?
Quartermaster AI is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Quartermaster AI founded?
Quartermaster AI was founded in 2023. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Quartermaster AI based?
Quartermaster AI is headquartered in Arlington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Quartermaster AI make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Hardware-as-a-Service (SmartMast Fleet Hosting) is the primary driver. The others are maritime Intelligence & Data Licensing, offshore Energy Monitoring Subscriptions, ESG & Compliance Data Programs, federal Science Agency Data Procurement and managed Platform Services (Government/Enterprise).
Who are Quartermaster AI's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HawkEye 360, ICEYE, MarineTraffic, ThayerMahan, Saildrone and Spire Global (Maritime). Broad incumbents are Kongsberg Maritime, Anduril Industries and Saab (Maritime Domain Awareness). LeoLabs is listed as an emerging player.
Does Quartermaster AI have an API?
Yes. SmartMast streams real-time data into cloud infrastructure where it becomes accessible via APIs and applications, enabling analysts and compliance teams to integrate ocean observation data into their workflows. The API delivers geo-referenced EO/IR imagery with GPS metadata, AIS-correlated vessel activity records, iceberg and maritime hazard detections, MARPOL-reportable cetacean sightings, wave height and sea-state observations, and RFMO-formatted IUU vessel encounter logs. Documentation URL, auth method, rate limits, and versioning are not specified in the source.
What industry is Quartermaster AI in?
Quartermaster AI's product category is Maritime Domain Awareness Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAGAH, Navigation, Communications & Integrated Bridge Systems Engineering, with a secondary code of IMAJAJAE, Marine Navigation Systems (ECDIS, Radar, GNSS, AIS). Its NAICS code is 33661 and its SIC code is 3823.