Sweden’s Cetasol Raises €2.3M In Seed Funding

Investors in the round included BackingMinds and Shift4Good, with ongoing support from existing backer Sarsia. The company plans to deploy the funding to scale operations, enhance its commercial capabilities, and strengthen its footprint in major maritime markets.

Cetasol provides smart AI solutions for running vessels efficiently. Its main platform, iHelm, helps fleets make better decisions by saving fuel, tracking performance, staying compliant and keeping operations running smoothly. By offering clear, actionable insights, Cetasol reduces costs and emissions while supporting greener, more sustainable maritime operations.

Read Also - London’s Mamedica Secures £4.5M Funding Led by U.S. Venture Firm Casa Verde

Niclas Wijkström, CFO & Investment Director at BackingMinds, says, “Cetasol is tackling one of the maritime industry’s biggest blind spots. While most solutions target the largest vessels, nearly 90% of the global fleet consists of small- and medium-sized ships that are underserved and often lack access to affordable optimisation tools. By combining edge computing with AI-driven analytics, it addresses critical challenges such as fuel optimisation, real-time decision support, and emissions tracking.”

BackingMinds, a Swedish venture capital firm, supports high-performing founders outside traditional VC networks. Shift4Good, an impact-focused fund with €220M AUM, invests in decarbonizing the transportation sector.

Cetasol will use the funding to accelerate the global rollout of its flagship platform, iHelm, delivering 10–25% fuel savings for small to mid-size vessels, expand commercial operations, and grow its business.

The company aims to broaden iHelm’s adoption across diverse vessels and regions, boosting energy efficiency and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. It will also continue investing in product development to keep its intelligent platform aligned with the evolving needs of the maritime industry and promote sustainable operations worldwide.

Matthieu de Chanville, Managing Partner at Shift4Good, says, “Cetasol has developed a solution that delivers measurable impact and ROI from day one it’s already proven, easy to deploy across a wide range of vessels, and highly relevant for fleet managers. What’s more, the platform lays the groundwork for the future of optimised maritime operations through predictive maintenance a domain we already know well from our investments in road mobility. We see strong complementarity, both in terms of expertise and market presence, especially in Southeast Asia, where we’re very active.”

About Cetasol

Cetasol, founded in 2021, develops AI-powered maritime sustainability solutions. Its flagship iHelm platform offers eco-driving guidance, predictive maintenance, actionable analytics and crew sustainability training. Delivered as a hassle-free, evolving subscription, iHelm helps vessels optimize energy use, reduce emissions, and supports a people-focused transition to a more sustainable maritime future.