Zurich-based startup Bubble Robotics, which builds autonomous underwater and surface robotics for continuous offshore monitoring, has closed a $5 million pre-seed round led by Episode 1 Ventures and Asterion Ventures.
- Founded in 2025 by Jean Crosetti and Patricia Apostol, Bubble Robotics develops autonomous underwater and surface robotic systems designed to enable continuous offshore monitoring without the need for vessels or crews.
- The company builds a “resident” ocean infrastructure model centered on its BubbleDock surface platform, which deploys and retrieves subsea robots capable of remaining at sea for up to six months, supported by onboard energy generation. Its system combines autonomous docking, navigation, and multi-sensor data collection (including optical, sonar, and environmental sensing) to deliver high-resolution, millimetre-scale mapping of underwater assets such as offshore wind farms, pipelines, ports, and coastal infrastructure.
- The collected data is processed using AI to generate inspection reports, digital twins, and predictive maintenance insights. Bubble Robotics positions this approach as an alternative to traditional vessel-based offshore operations, which are typically expensive, weather-dependent, and conducted only periodically, leaving long gaps in visibility of subsea conditions.
Details of the deal
- The pre-seed round also saw participation from Norrsken Evolve, Angel Invest, and experienced operators from offshore energy, maritime, and defense sectors.
- The firm plans to accelerate development of its autonomous underwater robotics platform, grow its engineering team across Europe and the US, and begin deploying its first resident systems in real-world ocean environments, with the goal of enabling continuous, long-duration monitoring and digital mapping of underwater infrastructure and seabed conditions.
