BeeX: Transforming the Ocean Floor with Autonomous Robotics Solutions

When Earth Venture Capital (Earth VC) first met Grace Chia and her team at BeeX, we knew this wasn’t just another startup tinkering with robotics. It was a team with a decade of dedication, a mission rooted in sustainability, and the audacity to challenge a centuries-old industry.

Transforming underwater inspections, BeeX is making the practice safer, greener, and much more efficient. How much more, you asked?

Centuries-Old Problem & $200 million+ market

Underwater inspections are essential for maintaining critical infrastructure like offshore wind farms, floating solar panels, and ship hulls. However, the methods currently used for these inspections are outdated, expensive, and risky. Each operation relies heavily on divers and vessel-based support, costing up to $100,000 per day and emitting 700 tonnes of CO₂. These inefficiencies persist despite the rapid expansion of green energy, where the demand for underwater inspections has grown exponentially.

The numbers speak for themselves. Offshore wind farms alone generated a $40–80 million market opportunity in 2022. Floating solar projects and ship hull inspections added an additional $20–35 million and $100 million, respectively. The potential is only growing. As renewable energy expands to meet global climate goals, the need for scalable, efficient underwater inspections has never been more urgent. Grace Chia, BeeX’s co-founder and CEO, explains it clearly:

“One wind farm has 50–100 times more structures than an oil field. The volume of infrastructure to keep safe has increased dramatically, and it’s no longer viable to do things the same old way.”

The challenge is not just one of scale but also one of urgency. Coastal cities, which house 40% of the world’s population, are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels and infrastructure degradation. The traditional, labor-intensive inspection processes cannot keep up with these demands. For industries that require precision and reliability in harsh underwater environments, a new solution is critical. That’s where BeeX’s innovation comes in.

Faster/Cheaper/Scalable? All Of The Above

BeeX’s autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are replacing human divers and clunky vessel-based systems with advanced robotics. These AUVs are designed to operate autonomously, reducing costs by up to 50% and cutting emissions by more than 90%.

Unlike traditional inspection methods, BeeX’s AUVs are faster, more reliable, and terrain versatile. They can inspect offshore wind farms, floating solar installations, and other underwater structures with unparalleled precision. Their adaptability is key.

What sets BeeX apart is its end-to-end ownership of the process. The team designs, manufactures, and operates its AUVs, ensuring that every component is optimized for performance and cost-effectiveness. This level of integration enables BeeX to gather and utilize subsea data more efficiently than competitors -which reduces cost. Grace adds:

“Our cost of data acquisition is much lower than others because we own the fully integrated capabilities. This gives us a significant advantage in terms of scalability and reliability.”

The Hearts And Minds Of These Underwater Robots

Behind BeeX’s transformative technology is a team with unparalleled expertise and cohesion. Grace Chia and CTO Goh Eng lead a close-knit group where over 60% of the team members have worked together for more than a decade. This level of collaboration is rare in the fast-moving world of robotics and startups, and it is a defining feature of BeeX’s success.

Grace’s own journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and curiosity. Growing up, she was fascinated by experimentation and building things—whether it was building her toys or motivating friends to take on passion projects. Her global experiences working in the US, China, and Europe shaped her vision, but her return to Singapore highlighted the gaps she wanted to address. “Too much short-term thinking and too many easy businesses,” she says. “I wanted to build something physical, something impactful, with lesser resources.”

Goh Eng complements Grace’s entrepreneurial drive with deep technical expertise. With over a decade of experience in autonomous robotics and user-centric engineering, 9 years as the Signal Officer of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Goh has been instrumental in turning BeeX’s vision into a scalable reality. Together, they’ve built a team that combines operational experience, technical skill, and a shared commitment to solving an everyday but critical problem. Grace sums it up:

“We’ve spent years deploying autonomous behaviors across different geographies and weather conditions. These datasets grow every day, and they’re a key part of what makes our solution so effective.”

What’s Onward?

BeeX is not just solving a problem—it’s paving the way for a new standard in underwater operations. Over the next three years, the company plans to scale its autonomous fleet, enabling multiple AUVs to operate independently across various customer locations. This scaling will allow BeeX to serve more industries while maintaining the precision and reliability that have become their hallmark.

Grace has a clear vision for BeeX’s future:

“We want BeeX to be the de-facto method of underwater inspections globally. That means generating hundreds of millions in revenue, serving customers who love us, and building a team that looks forward to working with each other every day.”

At Earth VC, we’re proud to support BeeX as they lead the way in transforming underwater operations. Their work is not just about improving efficiency or cutting costs—it’s about rethinking an entire industry to meet the demands of a changing world. BeeX is showing that even in the depths of the ocean, there’s room for innovation and progress.

The future of underwater inspections is here, and it’s powered by BeeX. If you’re intrigued, let's get in touch!