🛥️ The Next Wave of Marine Electrification Startups

Maritime transport emits around 1 billion tonnes of CO₂ each year, roughly 3% of global emissions, and its share is projected to rise without intervention.

Despite this, the sector has been slow to electrify, constrained by heavy-duty power requirements, regulatory complexity, and lengthy shipbuilding cycles.

But that tide is turning.

A new generation of startups is tackling the challenge from multiple angles: from high-performance electric drivetrains and hydrofoiling vessels to modular retrofits and AI-optimised fleet management.

Many are leveraging technologies already proven in automotive and aerospace, adapting them to the unique constraints of marine environments such as saltwater corrosion, weight-to-range tradeoffs, and regulatory fragmentation.

Below, we highlight 28 startups leading this transition including hydrofoiling electric vessels in New Zealand to high-power retrofit ferries in California and the world’s first amphibious electric boat in France.

Each startup is decarbonizing the world’s waterways, one vessel at a time.

Turning the tide on marine decarbonisation

🇺🇸 Arc 

Co-Founder and CEO: Mitch Lee

What: Electrifying the marine industry, beginning with recreational boating by making boating more modern, enjoyable, and sustainable. Their groundbreaking first model, the Arc One, set a ‘new industry standard’ as the most powerful electric boat commercially available.

Milestone: Arc electric boats adds $70M investment, building a 150,000 square foot (14k sq m) production facility just outside of Los Angeles in Torrance, California.

🇮🇪 Artemis

CEO: Iain Percy
Co-Founder: David Tyler

What: Developing 100% electric foiling vessels that produce zero emissions in operation and are home to the world’s most advanced marine simulator.

Milestone: The Port of Rotterdam trialed Artemis Electric foiling boat.

🇫🇮 Axopar

CEO: Kari Kulojärvi

What: Building electric boats for adventures and one of the fastest-growing boat brands in the world. 

Milestone: Axopar marked a decade of innovation with AX/E launch: setting course for future of electric boating.

🇫🇷 BlueNav 

Co-Founder: Thomas Frouin
CEO: Herve Frouin

What: Pioneering a unique combination of hardware and software technologies designed to deliver unparalleled efficiency, manoeuvrability, and ease of use.

Milestone: BlueNav debuted the release of its latest navigation system, which includes a ‘virtual anchor’ feature alongside an updated hybrid software pack.

🇸🇪 Candela 

Founder and CEO: Gustav Hasselskog

What: Bringing together some of the world's brightest researchers and engineers to redefine what a boat is. It claims to be the globe's only electrical boat with speed and range as a fossil boat, and a behavior in rough sea second to none.

Milestone: Candela C-8 electric boat made a historic first crossing from Europe to Africa.

🇸🇪 Echandia 

Co-Founders: Torbjörn Yngwe Bäck, Magnus Eriksson

What: Challenging the marine industry with safer electrification with full electric propulsion, hybridization, or onboard electric support systems. It partners globally with shipyards, system integrators and operators to realize complex projects and are appreciated for our relentless customer focus.

Milestone: Echandia raised $34M to scale zero-emission marine tech.

🇳🇱 Edorado

Founder and CEO: Godert van Hardenbroek

What: Designing advanced hydrofoil systems for high-performance maritime applications. From strategic operations and rapid response to clean transport and iconic tenders - their scalable platforms deliver speed, stability, and control across public, commercial and defense sectors.

Milestone: The sleek zero-emissions foiling powerboat hit 38 knots as it ‘flew’ over water.

🇨🇦 Envgo

CEO: Mike Peasgood

What: Designing with purpose and powered by innovation, the ENVGO NV1 combines aerospace-grade engineering with world-class design to reimagine marine mobility.

Milestone: Hydrofoiling e-speedboat promises 80 miles of freedom out on the lake.

🇳🇴 Evoy 

Co-Founder and CEO: Leif A. Stavøstrand

What: Reshaping the marine industry with sustainable solutions as a leader in performance inboard and outboard electric boat motor systems – delivering 120-400 continuous hp. Evoy develops and engineer powerful, 100% electric, plug-and-play systems for boats sized 20-50 feet.

Milestone: Evoy Vita introduced the world’s most powerful electric outboard motor to the US.

🇫🇷 Expedition Zero 

CEO: Andrew Cowen

What: Designing, building and leasing one of the world’s lowest environmental impact adventure sailing yachts, optimised for the needs of commercial operators everywhere.

Milestone: The first Expedition Zero vessel is planned for launch in 2025 with an incredible proving voyage through the Northwest Passage.

🇺🇸 Fleetzero

Co-Founders: Steven Henderson, Mike Carter

What: Pioneering modular hull construction to lower costs and increase shipyard output.

Milestone: Fleetzero linked up with AET to develop ‘world’s longest-range’ hybrid electric vessel.

🇨🇭 Fly-Box

Founder and CEO: Alain Thebault

What: Creating sustainable and efficient freight solutions. Their focus is on improving the last mile of transportation, which is currently dominated by polluting diesel trucks. Their solutions meet the diverse needs of water transportation, from ocean coastlines to river routes to tranquil lakeside towns.

Milestone: In June ‘25 their 8-meter 100% electric “Proof of Concept,” named “Fly-Box Compact,” “took off” from the water at 12 knots thanks to two large T-shaped foils.

🇫🇮 Foilone

CEO: Mathias Heinonen

What: Powered by an all-electric drivetrain and hydrofoiling technology, Pegasus moves in near silence with no emissions and no wake.

Milestone: Dubbed the ‘new electric foiling boat looks like an old-school F1 car and handles like a motorbike’.

🇫🇷 Iguana

Founder and CEO: Antoine Brugidou

What: Building luxury boats with a powerful landing gear that can conquer virtually any terrain.

Milestone: French yard launched world’s first amphibious electric boat.

🇫🇷 Millikan Boats

Founder: Philippe Raynaud

What: Specializing in the design of new generation electro-solar catamarans by bringing together passionate craftsmen, technicians, and experts around a shared project: making sailing more responsible, without sacrificing performance or pleasure at sea.

Milestone: Millikan M9 is hailed as the electric catamaran with unlimited range.

🇨🇭 Mobyfly

Co-Founders: Anders Bringdal, Thomas Putallaz

What: Designing and delivering premium, zero-emission hydrofoil boats aimed at the fast ferry market. Their vessels can safely and comfortably transport hundreds of passengers at speeds over 70km/h while using 80% less energy than any existing diesel ferries—and without making waves, noise, or pollution.

Milestone: MobyFly secured €10.8M to advance zero-emission hydrofoil ferry technology

🇺🇸 Navier 

Founder and CEO: Sampriti Bhattacharyya

What: Building the most compelling zero-emission marine vessels, which drastically reduce operational costs, and enable a whole new kind of clean, scalable, waterborne transportation.

Milestone: Navier delivered N30 electric hydrofoiling boat with ‘world’s longest range’ to its first customer.

🇬🇧 Optima Electric Yachts 

Founder: Chloe Kendall

What: Designing and producing a hull form which uses significantly less energy than other boats, electric or otherwise. This reduces demands on the electrical supply network as well as enabling long-distance cruising opportunities.

Milestone: Optima e10 electric boat was the first to circumnavigate UK’s Isle of Wight.

🇸🇬 Purus 

Founder and CEO: Julian Proctor

What: Providing global energy customers with maritime services across the entire maritime energy transition value chain.

Milestone: Vard has delivered the commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) Purus Chinook to Purus, a vessel that is the owner’s first newbuild for the offshore wind market.

🇸🇬 Pyxis 

Founder: Tommy Phun

What: Pyxis is on a mission to revolutionise the maritime industry by harnessing one of the world's greatest innovations - electricity.

Milestone: Raised $3.4M to accelerate its electrification tech development and expand the production of its electric harbor crafts.

🇬🇧 RAD Propulsion 

Co-Founder: Richard Daltry
CEO: Dan Hook

What: Aiming to cut carbon emissions in the maritime industry by producing top quality products that are quieter, smarter, easier to use and people are proud to own.

Milestone: RAD Propulsion introduced new partnerships across 3 key regional markets: Netherlands, India and Japan

🇫🇷 Seabubbles

General Manager: Virginie Seurat

What: Creating an iconic line of zero-emission flying boats is designed for passenger transport, offering an eco-friendly and exciting way to explore waterways. The SeaBubbles fleet combines electric propulsion with fully automated hydrofoils, allowing for a unique experience where you fly above the water.

Milestone: New e-hydrofoil water taxi flew eight people over the water.

🇫🇷 TEMO France

Founders: Alexandre SEUX and Justine Perussel

What: Offering a range of innovative propulsion solutions (from 450W to 3kW in outboard or Pod versions) suitable for all small watercrafts (tenders, dingies, kayaks, sailboats).

Milestone: French maker of electric boat motors opens first US subsidiary in Portland.

🇳🇿 Vessev

CEO: Eric Laakmann

What: Creating marine technology to propel a more liveable world – hydrofoiling electric vessels that are quiet, smooth, business smart, and planet smarter. 

Milestone: Vessev’s electric hydrofoiling ferry entered service in New Zealand.

🇨🇦 Vision Marine Technologies

CEO: Alexandre Mongeon

What: Striving to change and be a contributing factor in fighting the problem of waterway pollution by disrupting the boating industry with electric power, contributing to zero pollution, zero emission, wave less water, and a noiseless environment.

Milestone: The Company’s flagship outboard powertrain was the first fully electric outboard motor that combined an advanced battery pack, inverter, and high efficiency motor.

🇸🇪 X Shore 

Founder: Konrad Bergstrom

What: Creating high performance all-electric powered boats that are changing and charging the boat industry for a fossil free tomorrow.
 
Milestone: X Shore raised more than $50M to increase production at its new facility in Nyköping.

🇳🇴 Zeabuz

Co-Founders: Henrik Stray, Erik Dyrkoren

What: Providing intelligent navigation solutions to the maritime industry, with flexible and modular software solutions built to integrate with any vessel. Their vision is to provide the experience of a thousand seafarers on every ship, enabling a future-proof maritime industry with energy efficient, safe and cost-effective operations.

Milestone: Launched the world’s first autonomous urban passenger ferries, and are now deploying solutions for intelligent self-sailing and remote supervisory control for conventional vessels. 

🇺🇸 ZeroMar

CEO: Graham Balch

What: Converting commercial vessels, including fishing boats, ferries, and excursion boats, from diesel engines to electric motors, batteries, and safety systems. This transformation is not just about compliance but also about leading the way towards a sustainable future.

Milestone: ZeroMar teamed up with EPTechnologies to retrofit short‑run ferries such as the Angel Island Tiburon service so they meet California Air Resources Board zero‑emission regulations for harbor craft by December 31, 2025.