# NetworkOcean: robotics company

Canonical ID: `1949b1c0-447f-48d1-abd5-a4d2988853c8`

## Key facts

- **Founders:** Sam Mendel (CEO) and Eric Kim (CTO); Y Combinator Summer 2024.
- **Concept (company-claimed):** Ocean data centers powered by floating solar and cooled by seawater, avoiding land and grid delays; targets 1 GW a week by 2030.
- **First workload (company-claimed):** Powered an [H100](/chips/nvidia-h100.md) in San Francisco Bay and served a customer within 60 days of the first sketch.
- **Efficiency claim (company-claimed):** Seawater cooling cuts power use by up to 30-40% and uses no fresh water.

- **Slug:** networkocean
- **Status:** private
- **Founded:** 2023
- **HQ:** San Francisco, California, USA

## Models

_No models registered._

## Supplies to

_No verified supply relationships on file. Supply-chain coverage is being added across the registry; check back as the seed populates this company's outbound edges._

_Outbound supply edges. Each appears when verified with at least two strong sources. Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history._

## Common questions

### What is NetworkOcean?

YC S24 San Francisco startup building floating solar arrays and underwater/floating ocean data centers that use seawater cooling for AI compute. Founded by Sam Mendel and Eric Kim. Company pitches faster deploy versus land-and-grid builds, lower power use, and zero freshwater consumption. YC profile says the team powered an [H100](/chips/nvidia-h100.md) in the bay and served a customer within 60 days of a paper sketch.

### What does NetworkOcean make?

NetworkOcean has no robot models recorded on the DEPLOY registry. NetworkOcean builds physical robots.

### Is NetworkOcean publicly traded?

No. NetworkOcean is privately held and not publicly traded, per the DEPLOY registry.

### How can I invest in NetworkOcean?

NetworkOcean is a private company; its shares are not available on public markets, so retail investors cannot buy the stock today.

### Where is NetworkOcean headquartered?

NetworkOcean is headquartered in [San Francisco, California, USA](/locations/san-francisco-usa.md).

### Who owns NetworkOcean?

NetworkOcean is privately held; ownership sits with its founders and private investors.

### Is NetworkOcean a top robotics company?

On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, NetworkOcean ranks in roughly the top 41% of companies tracked by the registry.

### When was NetworkOcean founded?

NetworkOcean was founded in 2023.


## Sources (3)

1. https://x.com/SamMendel00/status/2104964421474820352 · 2026-09-29
2. https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/networkocean · 2026-09-29
3. https://www.networkocean.io/ · 2026-09-29

## The verified answers

- [Which companies have the most robots deployed](/which-companies-have-the-most-robots-deployed.md)
- [Which operators run the most robots](/which-operators-run-the-most-robots.md)
- [Which robot operators cover the most countries](/which-robot-operators-cover-the-most-countries.md)

_API: GET /v1/companies/1949b1c0-447f-48d1-abd5-a4d2988853c8 · canonical URL: /companies/networkocean_