Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the AI-powered technology safeguarding the world’s oceans and critical subsea infrastructure, has raised NZ$23M in an oversubscribed Series A funding round. The raise was co-led by Altered Capital—Starboard’s earliest investor—together with new partners OIF Ventures and King River Capital, with additional support from Co:Act Capital, Icehouse Ventures, and Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation.
Amid escalating maritime security risks, including undersea cable sabotage, illegal marine activity, and contested trade routes, Starboard delivers the next generation of Maritime Domain Awareness. Its AI platform fuses over 1 billion maritime data points daily across AIS, satellite imagery, radar, oceanographic, and autonomous sensors to detect suspicious activity, highlight risks to subsea infrastructure, and issue real-time alerts that enable operators to act before incidents occur.
For governments, Starboard strengthens maritime security by detecting adversarial behaviours, protecting subsea infrastructure, and supporting classified operations with real-time threat intervention. For commercial operators, the platform reduces operational risk, safeguards supply chains, and improves trade resilience by providing unparalleled visibility across global shipping activity.
Already trusted by governments, defence agencies, and commercial operators in 30+ countries, Starboard safeguards more than 840,000 km of subsea cable infrastructure and monitors a significant share of the world’s commercial fleet traffic.
The new funding will accelerate Starboard’s global expansion into North America, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific, strengthen its capabilities for classified and commercial maritime environments, and scale product innovation to meet rising demand for real-time threat prevention.
“Our mission is clear: to give nations and operators the intelligence edge needed to secure maritime borders, assets, and trade in a rapidly evolving threat environment,” said Trent Fulcher, CEO of Starboard Maritime Intelligence. “This investment enables us to extend that reach globally, set the benchmark for real-time maritime intelligence, and help our partners make faster, better-informed, and more secure decisions.”
Jonty Kelt and Vu Tran join existing directors Craig Mawdsley, Nick Fogarty, and Trent Fulcher on the Board as King River Capital and OIF Ventures representatives, respectively. Kelt, venture partner at King River Capital and an early Palantir executive with deep experience in scaling global data and technology businesses, will be appointed as Chair. Tran is a highly successful serial entrepreneur having co-founded unicorn, Go1 and defence technology start-up Black Sky Industries.
“Starboard is addressing one of the world’s most urgent security challenges, of protecting oceans, trade, and critical infrastructure in real time,” said Kelt. “Already trusted by government agencies and commercial operators across the Pacific, the company has the momentum and technology edge to become the global standard for ocean intelligence. I’m excited to help guide its next phase of growth into new markets and sectors.”
Starboard thanked outgoing Chair Maria King and early investors Soul Capital and Invest South for their foundational contributions to the company’s growth and mission.
Starboard is the trusted maritime intelligence provider for governments, defence agencies, and commercial infrastructure providers worldwide. Operating in 30+ countries and protecting over 840,000 km of subsea cables, its sovereign-friendly technology fuses satellite, sensor, and contextual data with proprietary AI to deliver real-time maritime insight. From protecting subsea infrastructure to enabling mission-critical decisions in defence and trade, Starboard transforms how governments and industry prevent threats at sea.
Starboard Maritime Intelligence
Amy Minty
Senior Product Marketing Manager
marketing@starboardintelligence.com
Read the exclusive in the Australian Financial Review
Learn more about how Starboard is the common operating picture for the maritime world.
