Ulysses: From Lowercarbon-backed seed to a $38M a16z Series A.

Ulysses builds fleets of autonomous underwater drones for ecosystem restoration. Its technology combines maritime hardware, autonomous systems, and physical AI to support projects such as coral and kelp restoration. These are complex, labor-intensive activities that have historically been difficult to perform at meaningful scale.

Ulysses came to us through Lowercarbon Capital after raising its seed round. The company had an ambitious technical roadmap and expected its patent portfolio to play an important role in future fundraising, partnerships, and commercial growth. It needed a patent strategy that could develop alongside the product rather than a series of disconnected filings.

The work also had to move quickly. As the technology evolved, Ulysses needed to establish early priority dates while preserving the flexibility to expand internationally once its commercial markets became clearer.

We built the portfolio in stages around Ulysses’ product roadmap and fundraising milestones, analyzing each major feature of the company’s core product. The first applications focused on the hardware and autonomous processes operated by multiple autonomous underwater vehicles, establishing early priority dates around the company’s foundational technology. International applications followed to maintain coverage for Ulysses’s technology across multiple jurisdictions.

We placed particular emphasis on system-level inventions and the way the hardware, autonomy, and operational systems worked together. Those integration points were among the most commercially important aspects of the technology and offered stronger protection than claims limited to individual components.

This approach also created a portfolio that could be explained clearly during investor and acquisition diligence.

Ulysses now has three patent application families with us, including two international filings. Both international applications received positive PCT search reports. The portfolio gave the company a concrete IP position to present during Andreessen Horowitz’s diligence for its $38 million Series A.

We are continuing to work with Ulysses as the company rapidly expands its technology and patent portfolio post-raise.