Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the New Zealand startup building AI-powered technology to protect oceans and subsea infrastructure, has raised €13M in an oversubscribed Series A round. 

The funding was co-led by Altered Capital (Starboard’s earliest backer), alongside new investors OIF Ventures and King River Capital, with support from Co:Act Capital, Icehouse Ventures, and the Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation.

Starboard has developed an advanced platform for Maritime Domain Awareness, designed to help governments and operators get ahead of escalating maritime security risks. 

From undersea cable sabotage to contested trade routes and illegal marine activity, the threats facing the world’s oceans are increasing in both scale and sophistication. The company’s AI engine processes more than one billion maritime data points every day across AIS, radar, oceanographic, satellite, and autonomous sensor inputs. 

This fusion of data enables the detection of suspicious activity, identification of risks to subsea infrastructure, and delivery of real-time alerts so operators can act before an incident occurs.

Already deployed in over 30 countries, Starboard’s platform safeguards more than 840,000 km of subsea cable infrastructure and monitors a significant share of the global commercial fleet. 

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Its customers span government agencies, defence organisations, and commercial operators, all seeking to reduce operational risks, protect supply chains, and strengthen resilience at sea.

The new funding will allow Starboard to scale globally, with expansion planned across North America, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific. It will also support further product development for both classified and commercial maritime environments, ensuring operators have the tools to respond to rapidly evolving threats.

“Maritime security is no longer a regional challenge, it’s a global one,” said Trent Fulcher, CEO of Starboard Maritime Intelligence.

“Our mission is to give nations and operators the intelligence edge they need to secure borders, assets, and trade in real time. This investment will help us extend our reach and set the standard for maritime intelligence worldwide.”

As part of the round, Jonty Kelt, venture partner at King River Capital and early Palantir executive, joins as Chair, while Vu Tran, co-founder of unicorn Go1, also joins the board. They sit alongside existing directors Craig Mawdsley, Nick Fogarty, and Fulcher.