Maritime data startup Oshen raises £5m led by Lunar Ventures with Albion VC
This article covers Oshen, a Plymouth-based startup, which has closed a growth funding round of £5m to nearly double its fleet of autonomous surface vessels from 50 to 100 and expand deployments for maritime monitoring and storm early warning. The funding will scale production and deployment of its 40kg solar-powered C-Star boats, supporting public agencies and maritime operators with persistent, low-cost ocean observation.
Oshen has closed a growth funding round of £5 million to nearly double the number of its autonomous surface vessels, bringing the fleet from 50 to 100 as the Plymouth-based company expands deployments for maritime monitoring and storm early warning. The raise funds scaling of its 40kg, solar-powered C-Star boats, which have been trialled by US and UK agencies and are being pitched as a persistent, low-cost layer of ocean observation.
Why it matters
Maritime monitoring is attracting more private-sector attention as governments look to protect undersea infrastructure and improve disaster response. Oshen’s C-Stars are being trialled for a mix of tasks that include hurricane early warning, seabed mapping and detecting unusual vessel activity. That combination of civil and defence use makes the company a useful case study in how small, sensor-equipped vessels can supplement traditional assets such as satellites and crewed ships.
The company says the C-Stars can transmit continuously for eight months, giving authorities a persistent data stream rather than episodic snapshots. Public agencies including the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Royal Navy have tested or invited pilots, signalling institutional interest beyond commercial customers.
Inside the product
The C-Star is a 40kg, solar-powered autonomous surface vessel designed to operate for extended periods. Oshen has equipped some boats with echo-sounders for seabed surveys and uses communications systems that enabled a NOAA demo during a Category 5 hurricane. Last week Oshen deployed 13 C-Stars — two in the Gulf of Mexico, two off the US eastern seaboard and nine in the Caribbean — to provide early warning and situational monitoring during the Atlantic storm season.
Oshen’s technology emphasises low-cost, persistent presence rather than the higher-capacity platforms used for in-depth oceanographic research. That makes the boats suited to tasks such as detecting changes on the sea surface, relaying environmental data for forecasts and acting as distributed sensors to augment naval surveillance.
Who are the investors?
Investors in the £5 million round include Lunar Ventures, Albion VC, Twin Track and Concept Ventures. The company previously bootstrapped its early development and raised a small angel round in 2024 that included Amar Shah, co-founder of driverless car company Wayve.
Oshen’s funding history and public-sector pilots appear to have helped attract a mix of institutional venture capital and specialist backers interested in maritime systems and applied sensor data. The cash will be used to expand the operational fleet, scale manufacturing and deepen integrations with partner agencies.
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Founder perspective
Oshen was founded in 2022 by Imperial College graduates Anahita Laverack and Ciaran Dowds. The founders bootstrapped development before taking outside capital and have grown the team to around 30 staff. The company reported 2025 revenues of £1 million and has set an ambitious long-term target of fielding 1,000 C-Stars to provide broad coverage from the UK to Greenland.
That roadmap is focused on incremental fleet growth and operational validation with public agencies rather than rapid pivoting into unrelated markets. The mixed civil-defence customer base enables multiple commercial pathways while exposing the technology to the operational constraints of naval and meteorological users.
The bigger picture
Oshen’s raise highlights two intersecting trends in the UK and transatlantic tech ecosystem: growing private investment in maritime data infrastructure, and increased collaboration between small technology firms and public agencies on resilience and security. As governments seek to protect undersea cables, pipelines and coastal communities, lower-cost persistent sensors provide an alternative to traditional surveillance approaches.
The deal also reflects wider interest from data investors in hardware-enabled, mission-oriented companies that combine sensors, connectivity and operational services. For the UK and European maritime sector, startups like Oshen could become exportable building blocks for distributed ocean observation if they prove durable and interoperable with established systems.
They've invested in Oshen
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| Investors | Investment Focus | Startup Investments | Round Size | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lunar Ventures( ) Berlin, Germany  | ||||
 AlbionVC( ) AlbionVC focuses on early-stage investments in the UK, specialising in software,... London  | ||||
 Concept Ventures( ) Concept Ventures is the largest dedicated UK pre-seed fund, focusing on reshapin... London | ||||
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 Amar Shah is a Co-founding Advisor and an entrepreneur with interests in softwar... | ||||
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