Based in Dublin, this climate-tech start-up wants to help offshore developers deliver renewable power while creating space for marine life to flourish.
Dr Sarah Cosgrove has worked and researched in and around the ocean for nearly 20 years.
With a BSc and PhD in marine science from the University of Galway and postdoctoral research in both Galway and the University of Texas in Austin, Cosgrove has studied everything from the impacts of oil spills to how marine populations recover and thrive.
Throughout her career, Cosgrove has spent time in academia, consultancy and industry in a variety of roles, including environmental director for an Irish marine consultancy. It was during this particular role that she started to build relationships with developers, regulators and researchers, gaining a deep understanding of the challenges of balancing clean energy growth with ocean health.
Armed with this knowledge, experience and understanding, Cosgrove decided to establish our Start-up of the Week – Restore Blue.
Restore Blue is a B2B SaaS company that wants to help offshore renewable energy developers integrate nature into every stage of their projects.
“Our software combines a database of biodiversity solutions with satellite data and AI to deliver site-specific strategies that support the co-existence of offshore energy infrastructure and marine ecosystems,” Cosgrove tells SiliconRepublic.com. “These solutions range from artificial reef systems that create new habitats for marine life to monitoring technologies that reduce risks to seabirds around turbines.
“By embedding nature-inclusive design into offshore wind farms, Restore Blue enables developers to meet sustainability goals while accelerating the clean energy transition.”
The tech and the target
Restore Blue’s software integrates a growing database of nearly 200 “nature-inclusive design solutions” with satellite Earth observation data and geospatial layers, which Cosgrove says enables “site-specific assessments of the best-fit biodiversity measures”.
The platform then uses AI to match renewable energy projects with the most suitable technologies and generate compliance-ready biodiversity strategies. According to Cosgrove, the start-up’s solution is 60pc cheaper than “more traditional, manual” research approaches.
“Our ultimate goal is to make Restore Blue the global leader in nature-inclusive offshore innovation,” she says. “We’re building a category-defining software platform that sets the benchmark for integrating biodiversity into renewable energy projects worldwide.”
Restore Blue’s target market is offshore renewable energy developers and marine planning consultancies, and Cosgrove believes the scale of the start-up’s opportunity is “substantial”.
However, she says that navigating such a fast-changing regulatory landscape can be complex, as biodiversity and offshore energy policies evolve rapidly across different markets.
“And, of course, attracting early customers in a competitive industry means proving value through pilots and investing time in building credibility and trust from day one,” she explains. “These challenges have taught us to stay agile, collaborate closely with industry partners, and maintaining our focus on delivering high-quality results that developers can depend on.”
How it’s going
Cosgrove says things are moving “quickly” at the climate-tech start-up.
Restore Blue recently completed the first version of its software and is now running paid pilots with offshore developers and consultancies in Ireland and the UK – with additional pilots planned in Europe from 2026.
While the Restore Blue team currently consists of just four people, Cosgrove says the start-up plans to double this number by the end of next year.
To date, the start-up has secured €295,000 through investment and grants, and is currently raising a €800,000 round to support its international growth as well as the development of versions two and three of its software.
The company also recently located to NovaUCD as part of ESA BIC Ireland, a two-year incubation programme during which Restore Blue hopes to fully integrate its satellite assessment software.
But that’s not all. As Cosgrove explains, the start-up has ambitious plans for both the near and long term.
“In the near term, we’ll continue developing and piloting with industry partners, aiming for a full product launch in 2027,” she says. “Longer term, our vision is to scale internationally, become the go-to strategic partner for major offshore energy players, and position Restore Blue as a prime acquisition target in the climate-tech space.”
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