Ulysses is an innovative startup developing autonomous marine drones aimed at tackling global biodiversity challenges.
The company, headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, focuses on restoring critical marine ecosystems, particularly seagrass populations, which play a vital role in carbon sequestration, coastal protection, and biodiversity support.
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering's first office was located in Dublin’s iconic St. Stephen’s Green, a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship in the city. This connection to Ireland remains strong, as the company’s first two internship hires were Trinity Engineering students, reflecting the startup’s commitment to fostering homegrown talent.
Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering’s mission is a fleet of autonomous, AI-driven marine drones capable of mapping, monitoring, and restoring seagrass meadows in coastal regions. By leveraging advanced robotics, the company aims to scale ecosystem restoration in ways previously deemed impossible.
“We not only need to mitigate the damage that climate change has done to ocean ecosystems—we need to reverse it,” said Colm O’Brien, Ulysses' Chief Engineer.
“Our solution is a fully autonomous marine platform from which ocean ecosystems can be monitored, preserved, and restored. This enables coastal stewardship on an unprecedented scale, a task that would have been prohibitively expensive without autonomy and advanced robotics.”
The company secured €2 million in pre-seed funding from prominent venture capital firms, including backing from one of the largest climate-focused investment funds, Lowercarbon Capital, led by renowned investor Chris Sacca. The funding will support the expansion of their operations and further development of their ocean stewardship technology.
