Drift Energy, a British startup focused on generating green energy at sea using advanced sailing vessels, has successfully closed its seed funding round.
Led by Octopus Ventures, with additional support from Blue Action Accelerator, the company has raised £4.65 million. This funding will enable Drift to scale its operations and move forward with its plans to begin vessel production next year.
Drift Energy aims to deploy a fleet of high-performance sailing vessels that harness deep ocean wind to produce green hydrogen at sea and deliver it globally. These vessels cruise through the world's tradewinds, capturing energy from underwater turbines. This energy powers a megawatt-class electrolyser on board, which produces and stores gigawatts of green hydrogen. To ensure efficiency, Drift has developed a sophisticated artificial intelligence routing algorithm that keeps the yachts in optimal weather conditions, allowing them to return to port precisely when their hydrogen tanks are full.
In addition to the seed funding, Drift Energy has recently received funding from Innovate UK through its Investor Partnership Programme. This grant will support the research and development programme and accelerate the design process for Drift's first vessel.
