lomarlabs and the Compass Programme

Feb 13
4 min read

Updated: Mar 4

A structured pathway from early validation to onboard deployment

At lomarlabs, we often meet founders at a moment of transition. The technology

is developed past the idea stage, but has not yet been deployed onboard a working ship.

The questions begin to change from does this work in principle? To how does this behave in practice and to is this viable?

The Compass Programme was built for that moment. It reflects sustained, hands-on work by lomarlabs to shorten time-to-milestone and reduce capital risk for deep-tech companies and their investors.

Why We Created lomarlabs

lomarlabs draws on five decades of operational expertise through its parent company, Lomar. As a venture catalyst, we start by investing sweat equity and work alongside startups and innovators to develop, test, and scale technologies that support the decarbonisation, automation, and transformation of global shipping.

To date, we have publicly announced 11 portfolio companies and are working with additional ventures on an ongoing, non-cohort basis. As companies make progress, we work with them to develop advanced purchase agreements with shipowners and help bring in new venture investments.

Our role sits between early innovation and commercial adoption, where curiosity still matters, but operational credibility becomes decisive.

This perspective defines the areas we choose to engage in. We work across energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and the future of work at sea, domains where shipping is actively searching for solutions that can function reliably in real operating conditions, not just on paper. Our core focus is on hardware and deep-tech solutions, while remaining open to software and infrastructure tools with strong maritime applicability.

What the Compass Programme is

The Compass Programme is lomarlabs’ structured pathway from early validation to onboard deployment.

It is a bespoke post-accelerator platform for maritime deep-tech startups that are ready to move beyond controlled environments and begin learning from live operations. Not as a final verdict on a technology, but as a deliberate step toward commercial readiness.

It brings together access to commercial vessels, operational and engineering insight, and industry expertise across safety, integration, and deployment. The objective is simple: to reduce uncertainty by replacing assumptions with evidence.

The Compass Programme touches real merchant vessels but it does so thoughtfully, with preparation, collaboration, and respect for the realities of commercial shipping.

How we think about collaboration

Like seafarers, entrepreneurs invent as they go. They chart routes, assemble crews, test assumptions, and adjust course.

At lomarlabs, collaboration is our greatest strength. We work shoulder to shoulder with founders, navigating in tandem and assessing direction together, always with the destination in mind.

The teams that find the Compass Programme most valuable are those with a hardware or deep-tech technology that has had proof-of-concept, and is seeking to test in the real world, develop channels to market, and have a willingness to learn from operational exposure rather than avoid it.

They are open to engage with engineers, crews, and operators, and are curious about how installation constraints, maintenance routines, data quality, and human factors shape performance.

Operational validation is not something to postpone, it is a vital part of building the product.

What operational validation looks like

The Compass Programme engagements take place within live commercial operations.

Technologies are observed in the context of existing vessel configurations, safety-critical procedures, crew workflows, maintenance cycles, data reliability, and commercial schedules.

This is about understanding how a system fits, or must adapt to fit, within the rhythm of real merchant ships. Often, the learning that emerges here is as valuable as the validation itself.

To keep this process constructive, we are transparent from the outset. Pilot projects do not involve vessel deviations and do not come with guaranteed commercial contracts.

Each pilot operates under its own agreement, costs are borne by startups unless otherwise agreed, and safety and professionalism are assumed as shared ground.

Case Study: AliciaBots

AliciaBots develops in-water robotic hull maintenance systems that allow continuous inspection and cleaning of hulls during normal operations, reducing drag and fuel consumption.

Through live operational validation, the company strengthened technical integration, demonstrated measurable impact, developed sales channels and built commercial credibility. Over two years, AliciaBots achieved a 20× increase in valuation, a reflection of market confidence grounded in real-world deployment.

Why the Compass Programme exists

Shipping carries 90% of global trade.

It is already the most efficient mode of transport - and it must do even better. Healthier oceans, lower emissions, safer operations, quieter seas, and a more rewarding life at sea are not competing goals. They are connected.

lomarlabs designed the Compass Programme to help close one of the most persistent gaps in maritime innovation: the step from promising technology to something operators can trust, adopt, and scale.

Anchor and Sail

At lomarlabs, we serve as both anchor and sail.

If you are ready to explore how your system behaves in real conditions, with real crews and real operational constraints, the Compass Programme is designed to support that journey.

If that moment feels close, or if you would like to explore whether the Compass Programme is the right next step, we invite you to contact our team.