Bubble Robotics, a startup operating between Paris, San Francisco, and Zürich, secured a $5 million pre-seed round co-led by Episode 1 Ventures, Asterion Ventures, and Norrsken Evolve to scale an autonomous underwater robotics workforce for the ocean economy. Founded in 2025 by Jean Crosetti and Patricia Apostol after meeting through the Entrepreneurs First program, the company combines commercial and operational expertise with a strong technical background rooted in experience at NASA and ETH Zürich. This combination underpins a customer-centric approach that has already translated into over $4 million in signed letters of intent from clients in offshore wind, maritime security, and subsea infrastructure.
The core solution consists of two tightly integrated components: BubbleDock, a shore- or vessel-launched docking station that can remain in position for up to six months, and BubbleBots, autonomous underwater vehicles that execute long-duration inspection missions. Equipped with cameras, sonar, multibeam echo sounders, hydrophones, and environmental tools such as eDNA sensors, the platform generates rich, multi-sensor datasets that support use cases ranging from wind turbine foundation inspection to mine countermeasures and the detection of unusual underwater sounds. Delivered through a robotics-as-a-service model with “no upfront costs,” the system aims to provide detailed subsea intelligence at significantly lower prices than traditional, crewed offshore inspection methods.
In a competitive landscape that includes Saildrone, Saronic, Sea Machines Robotics, Orpheus Ocean, and Bedrock, Bubble Robotics differentiates itself through the ability of its robots to remain underwater for extended periods instead of being deployed mission by mission like most AUV and ROV solutions. The company plans to convert its letters of intent into revenue with initial commercial deployments in offshore wind, maritime security, and subsea infrastructure, while positioning its network as a continuous source of maritime information, analogous to satellite constellations in Earth observation. This vision points to a future in which persistent, autonomous robotic fleets transform how critical underwater assets are monitored, secured, and maintained.
Reference
Chesnokova, S. (2026, April 21). Norrsken Evolve backs Bubble Robotics’ $5M raise to deploy an autonomous workforce at sea. Tech Funding News. https://techfundingnews.com/bubble-robotics-5m-pre-seed-autonomous-underwater-robots/