New Zealand-based maritime software company Sea-Flux has secured NZD$3 million in funding to expand its digital vessel management platform worldwide. The company aims to replace paperwork at sea with a mobile-first solution already in use on more than 1,300 vessels.
Sea-Flux, a maritime technology company founded in New Zealand, has raised nearly NZD$3 million (USD$2.7 million) to improve the global expansion of its cloud-based vessel management software. The seed funding round was led by Punakaiki Fund, whose investment will support product development and international growth in markets including Australia, the UK, India and the Middle East.
Founded in 2018 by former superyacht skipper Tai Ellis, Sea-Flux developed an app that integrates compliance, safety, maintenance and crew management into one system. Designed for smartphones and tablets, the platform eliminates the need for paperwork and traditional server-based tools. According to the company, this reduces costs and administrative burdens while improving transparency and safety on board.
“Our vision has always been to make vessel operations safer, smarter, and more connected,” said Tai Ellis, Founder and CEO of Sea-Flux. “Partnering with Punakaiki Fund marks an important milestone. Their track record investing in and scaling SaaS businesses and deep industry expertise will help us move faster and serve our customers better.”
Ellis added that the company wanted a partner who understood the wider mission. “We didn’t want just any funding, we wanted smart funding, partnering with people who deeply understand what we do, our vision, and what’s at stake for the maritime world. We couldn’t be happier.”
Punakaiki Fund Investment Manager Cormac McCullough said his team had followed Sea-Flux for some time. “Tai and the Sea-Flux team have built a business we’ve admired for a while. The global commercial maritime sector is an enormous market with scope for innovation. The resulting product is absolutely best in class, and it brings genuine benefits to vessel owners and operators globally,” he said.
Lance Wiggs of Punakaiki Fund added, “We are delighted to be able to help Tai and the team build on their success to date, with Sea-Flux exhibiting many of the traits of some of New Zealand’s great success stories, both on and off the water.”
Sea-Flux has grown steadily since its launch. In mid-2025, the company passed 1,000 vessels using its platform and has since expanded to more than 1,300 vessels with almost 9,000 users. Its customer base ranges across commercial operators, with crews praising the ability to streamline processes that previously required extensive paperwork.
The company’s success has already been recognized in the industry. In 2024, Sea-Flux received the Innovation Award for Electronic and Electrical Systems at the European Commercial Marine Awards in Southampton, England.
With the new funding, Sea-Flux plans to scale internationally while continuing to refine its technology. Managing Director Phil Martin said the investment provides “the resources to scale our onboarding and global reach with a customer-centric service and optimised experience.”
Sea-Flux says its mission remains clear: to cut through complexity in vessel management, empower crews with intuitive tools, and help the maritime sector move toward safer and smarter operations.
