Osaka-based Eight Knot has raised ¥450 million in the first close of its Series A round to advance its autonomous ship-navigation technology, the company announced on September 17.
Technology Ventures Fund No. 6, managed by Itochu Technology Ventures, and Nissei Capital Fund No. 15 co-led the financing. Funds managed by QB Capital with NCB Venture Capital and by Ikeda Senshu Capital also participated.
Turning trials into products
Eight Knot says the money will accelerate commercialization and mass-production work for Eight Knot AI CAPTAIN. The company has been installing a retrofit autonomous-navigation system on operating vessels while also developing individual modules that equipment makers and shipbuilders can integrate separately.
Those modules cover vessel control, position estimation, real-time route generation, detection of other vessels and obstacles, and safety decisions. A modular approach could let a customer adopt one part of the stack without replacing an entire ship or navigation system.
The company says it will also expand business development in North America and Southeast Asia through local partnerships, while hiring engineering and commercial staff.
A first close, not necessarily the final round
The ¥450 million is described as the first close of the Series A, meaning the company may add investors or capital before the round is complete. Eight Knot has not announced a valuation in the inspected release.
Founded in 2021 by Hiroto Kimura and Tomoaki Yokoyama, Eight Knot develops systems that can be added to existing ships. Its commercialization push comes as the maritime industry looks to automation to address crew shortages and improve operational safety, but the company’s release does not provide a mass-production date or independent safety-performance results.
