Securing aging ocean infrastructure with AI drones

This article is a part of Startup Spotlight, a series that features young, up-and-coming startups.

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Years of working with defence and commercial clients taught the founders firsthand how difficult and expensive underwater operations could be. This maritime infrastructure exposure led to the creation of BeeX Autonomous Systems.

😟 Problem

Aging ocean floor structures require regular inspections. Conventional models rely on remotely operated drones that need expensive support vessels and highly trained operators. These requirements make underwater inspections costly, inconsistent, and difficult to scale.

💡 Solution

The company designs, builds, and operates autonomous underwater drones with onboard power. These vehicles operate independently to collect structural data, eliminating the need for costly support vessels or scarce crew supplies.

The startup’s technology introduces several core capabilities, including:

• Autonomous navigation for faster data collection.
• Reductions in operational costs by over 50%.
• Safer field-validated approaches for end-to-end underwater inspection.

Photo credit: BeeX Autonomous Systems

📊 Market size

Attacks on underwater infrastructure and aging offshore assets are pushing governments to implement stricter regulations. Clients now seek autonomous solutions to manage these vulnerabilities. The startup sees an opportunity to serve 2,000 locations, each capable of spending US$500,000 annually.

🤝 Team

• Goh Eng Wei. Co-founder and CTO. He leverages deep defense knowledge and commercial operational experience to push the boundaries of underwater technology.
• Grace Chia. Co-founder and CEO. She combines deep-tech commercialisation expertise with strategic leadership to scale BeeX.

🚀 Traction

• Almost doubled revenue annually over the past three years.
• Reached profitability last year.
• Secured customers including Petronas and Singapore’s Ministry of Defence.
• Built proprietary data models across 14 years of offshore energy, defence, and maritime infrastructure projects.

🏆 Competition

Increased defense focus is drawing many new competitors into the underwater domain. The startup maintains its edge through its high deployment volume. This ongoing field usage creates a powerful data flywheel that continuously improves its autonomous systems.

💰 Financials

Government clients purchase vehicles directly, while commercial customers pay for inspection services. The startup raised a US$10 million series A round in May 2026 from Monks Hill Ventures and other existing investors. It plans to raise an additional US$50 million.

🚩 Risks