Anahita Laverack had dreams of becoming an aerospace engineer, but her career path took an unexpected turn after a pivotal moment at an autonomous robotics challenge. This experience inspired her to establish Oshen, a company focused on building fleets of robots designed to collect ocean data.
In 2021, Laverack, a seasoned sailor, embarked on a mission to create and enter a robot in the Microtransat Challenge. This competition involved constructing and sending autonomous sail-powered micro-robots across the Atlantic Ocean. Like previous attempts, Laverack’s endeavor was unsuccessful.
Upon reflection, Laverack realized a fundamental reason for the challenge’s failures. The lack of accurate ocean data hindered the robots’ ability to navigate effectively. Determined to address this issue, she attended conferences like Oceanology International in search of a solution. To her surprise, she discovered a significant gap in ocean data collection methods. This led to individuals expressing interest in paying her to gather the necessary data. Recognizing the demand for this service, Laverack saw an opportunity to develop a solution.
These discussions laid the foundation for Oshen, founded by Laverack and Ciaran Dowds, an electrical engineer, in April 2022. The company specializes in creating fleets of autonomous micro-robots known as C-Stars. These robots are capable of enduring 100 consecutive days in the ocean and are deployed in groups to gather vital ocean data.
Despite its current success, Oshen’s beginnings were humble. Laverack and Dowds opted to forego immediate venture capital funding. Instead, they pooled their savings to purchase a 25-foot sailboat, which served as a testing platform for their prototypes. Living in the most economical marina in the UK, they used the vessel to refine their technology and launch the company.
Over two years, Oshen iterated on its robots, conducting tests both on land and at sea. The challenge of perfecting the technology lay in creating mass-deployable and cost-effective robots that could operate autonomously for extended periods. While other companies had excelled in two of these areas, Oshen’s ability to excel in all three aspects attracted attention from defense and government entities.
After catching the eye of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Oshen’s technology underwent further development to ensure reliability. Following successful deployments during winter storms in the UK, NOAA engaged Oshen to deploy C-Stars in anticipation of Hurricane Humberto in 2025. Impressively, three C-Stars endured the Category 5 hurricane, marking a significant milestone in ocean data collection.
Currently based in Plymouth, England, Oshen has secured contracts with clients, including the UK government, for weather forecasting and defense operations. With a growing demand for its services, the company plans to seek venture capital funding to support its expansion efforts.
