SR Robotics (SRR), a Katowice-based company specialising in underwater robotics, has secured over €8.4 million in capital from a fund managed by Vinci, a company from the Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego Group.
This marks the successful completion of SRR’s strategic investor search.
“Our goal is to shape the future of underwater technology. We are developing innovative products, and, in selected areas, we offer solutions with a unique competitive advantage and an attractive RaaS business model,” says Tomasz Hartwig, CEO and Co-founder of SR Robotics. “Thanks to Vinci’s support, we can increase the scale of our operations and the availability of services in a subscription model.”
Founded in 2017, SRR operates in two main areas: the development of remotely operated and autonomous underwater robots, and environmentally friendly ship hull cleaning services.
The company develops dual-use robots for the civil and defence sectors, enabling the detection and neutralisation of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and chemical weapons, as well as seabed mapping and the safeguarding of both critical underwater infrastructure and strategic ports.
As part of the service offering, customers receive an appropriately configured robot and full operator support, as well as remote diagnostics, monitoring, and maintenance. This looks to eliminate the need for capital investment in purchasing robots or servicing costs.
The SR Robotics portfolio also includes: the Crab Bottom Crawler, the Octopus ROV, the ASV Narwal, the Nautilus ROV and the MagRob CL, and MagRob AC.
One of SRR’s key differentiators is the use of artificial intelligence to support underwater operations – including systems for analysing sensor data and identifying submerged objects. This technology could prove crucial to the offshore sector, including offshore wind farms, and to strengthening the country’s energy security.
Another key area of SRR’s activities is the design and manufacture of magnetic robots for cleaning ship hulls and other hard-to-reach underwater surfaces. SRR plans to gradually deploy its hull cleaning service, starting with Poland’s main ports, and then expanding to key European harbours. This initiative supports both the ecological sustainability of maritime transport and the protection of local marine ecosystems, in line with EU environmental regulations.
SRR is also helping to develop Polish expertise in underwater robotics through educational activities conducted in collaboration with the Maritime Economy Vocational Training Centre in Szczecin, the Maritime University in Gdynia, and the Silesian University of Technology.
“Investing in SR Robotics is about more than just supporting technological development; it’s also about building national competence in protecting critical underwater infrastructure, such as cables and pipelines. Furthermore, it is an investment in the security of strategic data for the Polish maritime area, including any infrastructure developed there, such as wind farms,” points out Bartosz Drabikowski, CEO Vinci S.A. “We recognise the company’s tremendous potential as a leader in underwater robotics, with its market-ready product portfolio and a clearly defined commercialisation strategy.”
According to data provided by SR Robotics, maritime transport is a vital part of the global economy, accounting for 90% of international trade in goods, while generating around 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
SRR’s technology therefore aims to solve an economic problem and one related to invasive organisms attaching themselves to ships hulls. Fuel costs account for around 60% of the total cost of maritime freight, and microflora on ship hulls cause an average increase in fuel consumption of up to 10%.
Against the backdrop of the recently introduced CO₂ charges (ETS) in maritime transport, SRR’s solution takes on added significance.
According to the company, their underwater vehicles can conduct geophysical and ferromagnetic surveys for offshore investments in all weather conditions. SRR robots can survey the seabed visually, including conducting underwater inspections in areas that are difficult or impossible for humans to access.
They can reporteedly perform dangerous tasks that would otherwise put divers at risk of injury or death and support them in additional work. With use of sonar technology, underwater objects, including hydrotechnical infrastructure, can be monitored even in poor visibility.
“The BGK Group’s investment in SR Robotics is fully aligned with BGK’s 2025–2030 strategy, one of the pillars of which is providing both banking and equity support for the development of cutting-edge technologies, including those applied within our national defense sector. The dual-use technology offered by SR Robotics is not just about gaining a market edge – it is also a matter of national security. Poland needs reliable suppliers of underwater technologies, because this serves our country’s vital interests,” says Mirosław Czekaj, President of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego.
This ties into recent concerns over Russian interference with underwater cables, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently accusing Russia of using dark fleet tankers to damage undersea infrastructure, as reported by LLoyd’s List.
The capital raised in this round will be used to expand the company’s production capacity, increase the availability of its robotic fleet under the Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, build a Remote Operations and Analysis Centre, and establish a training centre for unmanned underwater vehicle operators.
The investment will also support the development of local Polish expertise in servicing offshore wind farm infrastructure.