WaiV Robotics raises $7.5M to land drones on ships at sea
What's the deal? London-based WaiV Robotics has raised $7.5M in seed funding to launch what it calls the first fully automatic landing and takeoff platform for VTOL drones operating at sea. Unveiled on May 5, the gyro-stabilised system uses AI-driven predictive algorithms and a patent-pending catch-lock-release mechanism to recover drones on vessels as small as 10 metres — even in rough conditions.
The platform works with any VTOL drone, including multicopter, fixed-wing, and helicopter types, regardless of manufacturer. It currently handles UAVs up to 15 kilograms, with plans to scale from 3kg aircraft up to the 100–300kg class.
Why now? Automated drone landings on moving vessels remain one of the hardest unsolved problems in unmanned aviation. Offshore industries increasingly want to use drones for inspection, surveillance, and logistics — but pitching decks, salt spray, and six degrees of vessel motion have kept most operators on the sidelines, especially those with smaller boats.
"For drones to become a reliable part of offshore operations, the missing piece isn't the aircraft, it's the infrastructure around it," said Johnny Carni, founder and chief executive officer of WaiV Robotics.
What could go wrong? The system has yet to prove itself across the full range of sea states and vessel types it targets. Scaling from 15kg drones to 300kg carriers is a significant engineering leap, and maritime hardware must withstand corrosion, extreme weather, and constant vibration.
Competition could also emerge from defence contractors and established maritime-tech firms. And with only seed funding in hand, WaiV will likely need further capital to reach the larger drone-weight classes and build out commercial deployments.
The signal: This funding reflects a broader push to build the infrastructure layer that makes commercial drone operations viable beyond controlled environments. The aircraft themselves have matured faster than the systems needed to launch, land, and maintain them in harsh settings.
Maritime is a particularly compelling frontier. Offshore energy, shipping, and defence all need persistent drone capabilities at sea — and the market won't unlock until landing and recovery becomes reliable and autonomous. WaiV is betting that solving the platform problem, rather than building another drone, is where the real value lies.
Read more: dronelife.com
