Oshen built the first ocean robot to collect data in a Category 5 hurricane 

Anahita Laverack, originally aspiring to be an aerospace engineer and an experienced sailor, founded Oshen in April 2022 after recognizing a critical gap in ocean data collection. Inspired by her unsuccessful attempt to cross the Atlantic with an autonomous sail-powered micro-robot in the Microtransat Challenge, she discovered that a lack of reliable ocean and weather data was a major obstacle. Partnering with electrical engineer Ciaran Dowds, Laverack developed Oshen’s autonomous micro-robots, called C-Stars, designed to survive up to 100 days in harsh ocean conditions and deployed in swarms to gather detailed ocean data. The company initially operated on a shoestring budget, using a 25-foot sailboat as a testing platform while iterating on the technology through challenging weather conditions. Oshen’s innovation lies in creating micro-robots that are simultaneously mass deployable, cost-effective, and technologically advanced enough to operate autonomously for extended periods. This unique combination attracted interest from defense and