Updated Nov 1, 2021 - Science

Ocean data collection firm Sofar raises $39 million

Andrew Freedman

A Sofar Ocean Technologies Spotter Buoy. — A Sofar Ocean Technologies "Spotter" buoy. Photo courtesy of Sofar Ocean Technologies

Sofar Ocean Technologies, which makes instruments for ocean data collection, has raised $39 million in a Series B syndicate round with Union Square Ventures and the Foundry Group.

Why it matters: Sofar's data could improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and climate monitoring in the world's oceans, which have vast blind spots compared to Earth's land areas.

Details: Sofar's customer base includes climate scientists, shipping carriers including Berge Bulk, which has 80 vessels, along with foreign governments, among others.

The money will be used to expand into new markets while also scaling up the company's engineering, technology, research and marketing departments, CEO Tim Janssen told Axios via email.
Sofar aims to deploy thousands of its low-cost "Spotter" buoys across all five oceans to collect data from as many places as it can. They can cost as little as $5,000, depending on the configuration.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note that Sofar Ocean raised $39 million, not $31 million.

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Ocean data collection firm Sofar raises $39 million

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