ScrubMarine lands £740k pre-seed to build cavitation‑powered hull‑cleaning robots capturing inspection data
This article covers ScrubMarine, a supply chain startup, which has raised just over £740k in pre-seed funding to develop autonomous robotics for hull cleaning and inspection. The funding will support prototype completion, hires in Whitehaven and Edinburgh and preparations for commercial pilots targeting maritime operators to reduce fuel costs, emissions and diver risk.
ScrubMarine, a supply chain startup founded by 21‑year‑old engineer Rohith Devanathan, has raised just over £740,000 in pre‑seed funding to develop autonomous robotics for hull cleaning and inspection. The round will fund prototype completion, hires in Whitehaven and Edinburgh, and prepare the company for commercial pilots addressing a longstanding cost and emissions problem in maritime operations.
Why it matters
Biofouling — the buildup of marine growth on hulls — can raise fuel consumption by up to 40 per cent. The industry cost is estimated at about £74.1 billion a year, with knock‑on impacts for emissions and operational costs as the International Maritime Organization tightens efficiency and sustainability standards. Improving how fleets maintain hulls therefore has direct effects on fuel use, emissions reporting and crew safety.
ScrubMarine’s approach targets that junction of operational cost, regulatory pressure and diver risk by automating cleaning and combining it with inspection data capture.
Inside the product
ScrubMarine is developing two main systems. The Turtle is a compact, cavitation‑powered robot intended to remove fouling without harming hull coatings while collecting inspection data in the same pass. The Whale is an autonomous surface platform designed to deploy and recover the Turtle without relying on divers or port infrastructure.
The company plans to use the new funds to finish a working prototype and expand engineering capacity across Whitehaven and Edinburgh. ScrubMarine has letters of support from operators including Caledonian MacBrayne and Wallenius Wilhelmsen, was selected for the UK government‑backed Global Business Innovation Programme in Houston, and is planning a pilot with a UK ferry operator in 2026. Management says it aims to refine its inspection and data‑capture capabilities ahead of international pilots and a larger seed round next year.
Who are the investors?
The pre‑seed round is led by PXN Ventures, which invested via NPIF II – PXN Equity Finance, part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II. Strategic backers in the round include Graham Westgarth, former President of the UK Chamber of Shipping, and Colin Greene, a former Apple country CEO.
The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is a £660m programme that provides a mix of debt and equity finance across the North of England and is intended to boost early‑stage funding availability for local businesses.
In the announcement, Jess Jackson, PraeSeed lead at PXN Ventures, said:
After investing in ScrubMarine as part of our first NPIF II-backed PraeSeed cohort, we’re excited to support the team with follow-on funding. ScrubMarine’s innovative robot and forward-thinking approach have the potential to drive meaningful efficiencies in a vital global industry.
In the announcement, Graham Westgarth, former President of the UK Chamber of Shipping, said:
offers a credible path towards cleaner, safer and more efficient operations
In the announcement, Colin Greene, former Apple country CEO, said:
a compelling application of robotics and autonomy in a sector ready for innovation
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
- Explore our list of supply chain venture capital firms in the UK
- Browse our directory of supply chain angel investors in the UK
Founder perspective
Devanathan, born in Chennai and raised in Edinburgh, began building businesses as a teenager and studied robotics from age 17. He met co‑founder Clyne Albertelli while exploring robotic applications for maritime environments; Albertelli now serves as engineering director.
In the announcement, Rohith Devanathan, Founder at ScrubMarine, said:
Robotics has always been about solving real-world problems for me. Shipping’s efficiency and safety challenges don’t get much more real than this. It’s a global industry facing rising fuel costs, emissions pressure and outdated maintenance methods.
In the announcement, Rohith Devanathan, Founder at ScrubMarine, said:
This investment allows us to accelerate development and move towards the first pilots with major operators. Our goal is to make underwater maintenance safer, more efficient and fully data-driven.
The bigger picture
ScrubMarine projects £55.6m in annual revenue within five years, reflecting the size of its addressable market across merchant shipping, offshore wind, oil and gas and the superyacht sector. If successful, automated hull maintenance could reduce recurrent fuel costs and emissions reporting burdens while eliminating some diver safety risks.
The deal also highlights how regional funds such as NPIF II are being used to back deeptech and robotics ventures in northern England and Scotland. For investors, the combination of operational cost savings, regulatory drivers and data‑enabled maintenance offers a plausible commercial path — though the technology will need to prove reliability and cost‑effectiveness in live fleet operations.
ScrubMarine’s progress will be one to watch for anyone tracking the intersection of robotics, maritime operations and supply chain efficiency across the UK and Europe.
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