Finding investors who understand the potential of blue technology can be a major hurdle for European startups, but Italian deep-tech company WSense has managed to overcome this challenge spectacularly.

The company recently secured €11 million in funding, significantly exceeding their initial target of €6 million — thanks in part to the attention it got after winning Europe’s prestigious BlueInvest Award in 2022.

WSense has pioneered what they call the “Internet of Underwater Things,” developing innovative technology that enables wireless communication and data exchange at depths of up to 3,000 metres underwater. Their patented solutions are already being applied across multiple sectors, including energy, aquaculture, and cultural heritage preservation.

At the helm of this success story is Chiara Petrioli, the company’s founder and CEO, who transformed WSense from Rome’s Sapienza University spin-off into a thriving enterprise with 50 employees and offices across Italy, Norway, and the UK.

A professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Petrioli has been recognised as one of the most cited researchers in her field and has received numerous innovation awards.

In this interview, Chiara Petrioli explains how finding suitable investors can prove challenging in the deep-tech sector, and how winning the BlueInvest award provided WSense crucial visibility in the ocean tech investment community, proving instrumental in their fundraising success.