Tethys Robotics receives CHF 150,000 for underwater drone
With the development of the world's first underwater drone that can operate autonomously in all waters, even in very rough conditions, Tethys Robotics offers a solution for professionals who want to reduce the risk for divers. The startup was awarded 150,000 Swiss francs by Venture Kick, winning the third stage of the program.
The most common method of searching for and recovering objects and people underwater today is the use of professional divers, who accept the risk of permanent or fatal damage. Their work is associated with many dangers and difficulties.
Tethys targets the industrial inspection and search and rescue segments with an estimated annual potential of over USD 8 billion. Market demand is driven by the increasing need for renewable energy solutions (137,500 new offshore wind turbines by 2050) and applications for autonomous oceanographic exploration and inspection. Building on relationships with authorities in Europe, Tethys Robotics has developed the world's only underwater drone with a VR-enabled user interface that can operate autonomously in all waters and recover objects at depths of up to 300 meters in challenging conditions, ultimately enabling operations in strong water currents with poor visibility. In this way, it will significantly contribute to mitigating the significant risks divers face on a daily basis, while reducing the need for personnel to work underwater.
The startup will invest the CHF 150,000 in improving business development initiatives. This will allow to accelerate the completion of pilot programs with first customers as well as to strengthen the company's international presence and promotion.
The team has been working together for five years and consists of co-founder and project manager Jonas Wüst, co-founder and operations lead, Pragash Sivananthaguru and co-founders Andrej Studer, Johannes Lienhart, Bastian Schildknecht, Florin Kümin and Gallus Kaufmann. Together they want to lead underwater robotics into a new era.
Jonas Wüst says about Venture Kick: "Since our launch, we have had the opportunity to hone our presentation skills at Kickers Camp, which allowed us to secure sufficient funding to drive our product and business development. At the same time, we were able to launch several pilot projects with early adopters, whose feedback allowed us to make an informed decision about our go-to-market strategy. With the Venture Kick win, we now have the resources and financial support to bring Swiss underwater robotics to the international stage."
Source: www.venturekick.ch
