ampStay, an Austrian clean-tech startup developing a new category of onboard wind generation for sailing yachts, has opened a €600,000 funding round to scale production of its backstay mounted turbine system.

As the sailing industry accelerates towards electrification, energy autonomy at sea remains a critical bottleneck. Demand for reliable, sustainable onboard power is rising, yet existing solutions continue to fall short. Solar offers only intermittent supply and traditional wind turbines are limited by noise, vibration and space constraints.

ampStay is addressing this challenge with a fundamentally new approach to onboard wind energy. The startup supplies sustainable energy autonomy on sailing yachts and beyond by providing a disruptive unique wind turbine which is operable where others don’t, because it is flexible and rotates around the backstay of a yacht or any other tensioned cable.

The system is designed to generate power 24/7, both under sail and at anchor, by integrating directly into the yacht’s existing rigging.

Unlike conventional turbines, which require rigid mounting structures and often create a “guitar body” effect through the hull, ampStay’s modular “pearls on a necklace” design rotates around the backstay and eliminates the need for additional masts while significantly reducing vibration and noise.

The result is a plug-and-play system that is whisper-quiet, easy to install and capable of generating between 600–1000W of power in real-world conditions.

Originally developed as a personal project by founder Harald Hackenberg – a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of management experience – ampStay has evolved into a venture-backed business with strong early validation.

To date, the company has:

• Spent over two years testing and optimising the system in real-world conditions
• Developed IP-protected design and established a production-ready supply chain
• Secured strategic partnerships, including with the Austrian Sailing Federation
• Won the Premio CONI award from the Italian Olympic Committee
• Reached serial production readiness
• Secured 50 pre-orders
• Raised approximately €500,000 to date, including €400,000 from private investors and €100,000 in public R&D funding

The company is now raising €600,000 to transition from prototype to scaled production.

A key milestone is an initial 50-unit production run, which requires more than €200,000 in upfront manufacturing costs to unlock viable unit economics.

Funds from the round will be allocated across:

• 43% – upfront production costs
• 26% – team expansion
• 13% – marketing and commercial rollout

ampStay operates a direct-to-consumer and distribution-led model, with 75% of sales expected via its own online channels, complemented by marina retail partners and OEM integration with new yacht builds.

With a target market spanning over 3 million sailing yachts globally (and a core serviceable segment of approximately 1.2 million vessels) the company is positioning itself within a high-value, environmentally conscious customer base with relatively low regulatory barriers.

ampStay sits at the intersection of two accelerating shifts: the transition to electric propulsion in sailing yachts and the growing demand for self-sufficient onboard energy systems.

The company will be pitching at the upcoming Yachting Ventures online investor event, where it will present its technology, traction and roadmap for scaling production.

Investors interested in the round can attend the event here.