Planys Technologies Secures $12M to Expand AI-Driven Underwater Inspection Tech Globally

Planys Technologies, one of the startups growing out of Abu Dhabi’s Hub71, has secured around USD 12 million in new primary funding, giving the company a solid push as it gears up for wider global expansion. The investment comes from well-known backers including Ashish Kacholia and Lashit Sanghvi, along with continued support from Pratithi Investment, Samarthya Investment Advisors, 3i Partners, LetsVenture and several angel investors. I reckon that kind of mix usually signals confidence that a company is on the right track.

The fresh capital will help Planys scale its industrial inspection operations across the Middle East, especially in sectors where infrastructure can’t afford downtime—ports, refineries, petrochemical sites, desalination plants and large power facilities. The company specialises in hybrid underwater robots, robotic crawlers and an AI-driven 3D Inspection Twin, all built to let asset owners inspect structures without shutting them down entirely. When I first saw a demo of a similar system years ago during an Arageek visit to a port operator, I remember thinking it looked like a bit of a faff… until I realised how much time it saves compared with traditional methods.

One of Planys’ next big steps is TankRover, an explosion-proof ROV undergoing international certification. It’s created specifically for inspecting hydrocarbon storage tanks, which are everywhere across the region and notoriously difficult to handle safely. The company has also carved out a niche in underwater concrete testing and advanced non‑destructive testing, even in murky waters where visibility is barely a metre. And believe it or not, those conditions are far more common than people outside the industry might assume.

Over the years, Planys has logged more than 25,000 deployment hours across 500 sites in over ten countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman. Its client list reads like a who’s who of global and regional heavyweights—ExxonMobil, Shell, Saudi Aramco and SABIC among them. On the flip side, it’s not just about the big names; basing itself at Hub71 seems to have given the team a strong foothold for building partnerships around the GCC. One example is its collaboration with Applus Velosi in Qatar, which has helped extend its reach in inspection and asset integrity services.

Founded in India back in 2015, Planys has been developing advanced underwater vehicles—ROVs and AUVs—tailored for both industrial and security applications. The company blends robotics with data analytics and inspection tech to support operators looking after submerged or hard‑to‑reach infrastructure. It’s the sort of practical innovation that we at Arageek often end up talking about with startups who want to solve real, gritty problems rather than just chase buzzwords. And if this new funding helps Planys keep that momentum, I’d say they’re pretty much spot on… well, mostly, unless something goes completely sidewys.

Overall, it looks like a significant step for a company trying to scale in a region where old infrastructure and new megaprojects sit side by side—both in need of clever ways to stay safe and operational.

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