KYOTO, JAPAN & NYC, USA-based VC, Monozukuri Ventures (MZV, CEO: Narimasa Makino), announced an additional investment in SeaSatellites Inc. ( SeaSats, CEO: Mike Flanigan). Monozukuri Ventures is a VC that runs startup investment funds specifically for hardware startups. SeaSats, a California-based startup, took part in the Techstars Space Accelerator program in 2021, where MZV saw great potential in their work and swiftly decided to invest in them at the end of 2021. This time, MZV has made an additional investment jointly with the substantial investment from L3Harris. ALT: SeaSats maritime vehicle is sailing on the sea. About narrow and 3 meters long and has a flat top surface with a sensor-like round object at the back.

SeaSats is a startup that designs and produces maritime autonomous surface vehicles (ASV) for collecting and analyzing data from the ocean. While autonomous cars and logistical robots are drawing huge attention, in Japan which has the 6th largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), it is assumed that autonomous maritime vehicles will gain a larger market. Autonomous maritime vehicles are expected to serve marine resources research, climate change monitoring, and numerous other purposes.

SeaSats’ X3, an autonomous solar-powered electric oceanographic research vehicle, garners attention in tackling climate change. In addition, compared to other competitors, it is much smaller, lightweight, and low-cost, starting from 70k USD per unit. The product is already gaining some traction, showing its potential to scale.They offer their proprietary browser-based user interface that allows users to monitor and control vehicles remotely from any device. Side view and the specifications of SeaSats X3

ALT: Side view of SeaSats X3 on the left and its specifications table on the right. Length 3.0m, Beam 0.75m, Weight 72kg, Top Speed 4 knots, Endurance 6 months, Payload Capacity 40L/20kg, Payload Voltage 5-28V User Interface of SeaSats X3.

ALT: User Interface of SeaSats X3. On the bottom right are the Chrome and Firefox logo. There is a phone on the right side and a desktop computer on the left, showing the screenshot of the application opened with a browser.

Our investment will fuel their business development to further expand their market share.

Monozukuri Ventures invest in and offer prototyping/manufacturing consulting services to hardware startups. MZV contributes to the world where more entrepreneurs can swiftly manufacture high-quality products even with a small lot. In February 2021, MZV closed the initial application of the “Monozukuri second fund,” which is focused on Japanese and US hardware startups. MZV will continue to support scalable hardware startups along with institutional investors and manufacturing companies in Japan.

SeaSatellites develops maritime autonomous surface vehicles.
Founded on Oct 6th, 2020
Based in California, USA
CEO: Mike Flanigan
URL: https://seasats.com/


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