OUR STORY
FROM ROWBOATS TO ROBOTS
The idea for Open Ocean Robotics formed during the worst hurricane season in history, when Julie and Colin Angus rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, successfully completing the first row across the Atlantic Ocean from mainland to mainland despite being hit by two hurricanes.
It was during the first hurricane, Hurricane Vince, the most northern and eastern hurricane ever, that the idea for Open Ocean Robotics was born. Being in 50-foot waves made it very clear what a challenging and inhospitable environment the ocean is, and how that impacts our ability to understand and operate on our oceans. Robotic boats that could endure waves just as their rowboat did while continuously collecting ocean data could change that. If the boats were solar powered, they could stay on the ocean for months, maybe even five months like Julie and Colin did, without any greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2018, Open Ocean Robotics was launched to make that vision a reality, and now our solar powered uncrewed surface vehicles are doing just what we envisioned more than a decade earlier. Open Ocean Robotics provides safe, affordable, and sustainable ocean monitoring solutions to digitize planet ocean and sustainably grow the $2.5 trillion blue economy.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Open Ocean Robotics has been recognized internationally for its innovation and industry leading work.
We received the Solar Impulse Solution label, a rigorous evaluation guaranteeing our company is committed to protecting the environment as well as economic profitability. VentureLab gave us the startup of the year award and Foresight CleanTech named our CEO Julie Angus Cleantech Icon of the Year. NACO, Canada’s National Angel Capital Organization, gave us Canada’s Most Promising Startup award and Foresight named us in the Foresight 50, top investable cleantech companies.
WOMEN IN CLEANTECH FINALIST
EFFICIENT SOLUTION LABEL
LEADING GROWTH
TECH COMPANY
MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES IN MARINE
OCEANS STREAM GRADUATE 2019/2020
TOP 50 TO WATCH
CANADA'S MOST PROMISING STARTUP
COMPANY OF THE YEAR
2021
MILESTONES
2023
2022
2021
2020
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Core technology patent approved in US and Canada
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Received success memo from Task Force 59 + Defence Innovation Unit (DIU)
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Successfully completed one of the largest naval exercises (IMX) with the US Navy in Bahrain
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Startup of the Year from VentureLab
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Foresight 50 Award - Canada’s Top 50 Investable Cleantech Companies
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Top 50 Most Innovative Maritime Startups and Scaleups from Thetius
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Awarded Solar Impulse label for sustainable solutions
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Won $4.5M grant from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and BC Innovative Clean Energy Fund.
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Successfully completed a 25-day pilot in illegal fishing enforcement in a marine protected area (MPA) in Hawaii with WildAid and Oceankind
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Creative Destruction Labs (CDL)/ Ocean Stream graduate
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Canada’s National Angel Capital Organization (NACO)/ Canada’s Most Promising Startup Award
FEATURED SUPPORTERS
As a Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) company in the Ocean Stream, we’ve benefitted from their objectives-based program for massively scalable tech companies.
Foresight Cleantech Accelerator is Western Canada’s clean technology accelerator, helping companies grow and providing portfolio companies like us an ecosystem of mentorship, like-minded entrepreneurs, and industry specific guidance. Open Ocean Robotics has received the Foresight50 award for 2 years running.
We’re a MaRS Discovery District portfolio company and a finalist in the Women in Cleantech challenge, a 2.5 year program delivered by MaRS and Natural Resources Canada that includes $850,000 in support.
As a portfolio company in Alacrity Canada’s cleantech program, we benefit from their mission to facilitate success and economic growth in the Western Canadian technology sector by providing support, entrepreneurial mentorship, and venture capital connections.
Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) seed funding is helping us and other Canadian companies demonstrate new environmental technologies that address climate change, clean air, clean water and clean soil to become world leaders.
SeaAhead is a bluetech startup platform, founded in Boston. They help build companies, run an incubator, facilitate investments and are catalyzing a bluetech cluster in the Northeast.
Thanks to the support of NRC-IRAP, we’ve been able to enhance our innovation capacity, conduct pilot trials and advance our technology towards commercialization.
Innovate BC supports B.C.’s innovation ecosystem, linking innovators to funding, resources and support to help companies like us in every corner of the province grow.
It is through Greentown Labs, North America’s largest climatetech accelerator, that we are able to participate in Vineyard Wind’s Offshore Wind Challenge where we are developing marine mammal monitoring technology for the offshore wind industry in Massachusetts and beyond.
Natural Resources Canada created the Impact Canada Women in Cleantech Challenge to drive innovative solutions to some of the biggest issues that face Canadians and their communities, which we are a finalist in.
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