Juice Robotics Licenses URI High Dive Tether in Spinout Deal

Juice Robotics, a University of Rhode Island spinout, has secured venture investment from Rogue Island Ventures and licensed four URI-developed ocean technologies, marking its shift from university research to commercial venture. The portfolio includes High Dive, a platform that links aerial and underwater systems through an ultra-light fiber-optic tether to enable real-time communications, sensing and control. The deal is being positioned as evidence of Rhode Island's emergence as a national ocean technology hub, drawing on the company's roots in URI research and the state's maritime heritage.

 

Structure of the Licensing Deal

 

URI Innovations has announced that Juice Robotics secured venture investment alongside the licensing agreement. The company obtained rights to four technologies developed at the University of Rhode Island. This combination of a technology licence and outside investment marks a significant step in the firm's commercial development. It represents a transition from academic research toward a market-facing venture. The arrangement is intended to support the company's product development and commercialisation efforts.

The licensed technologies address a set of interconnected challenges in ocean operations. Together they cover underwater sensing, communications and robotic systems. The stated goal is to make ocean operations more efficient, accessible and cost-effective. By acquiring a portfolio rather than a single technology, the company gains a broader foundation for its products. This positions Juice Robotics to pursue applications across multiple areas of ocean technology.

 

The Company and Its Founders

 

Juice Robotics was formed out of the University of Rhode Island's research base. It was founded by URI alumnus Matthew Jewell and URI professor Brennan Phillips. The company is led by chief executive Stephen Piper, a former IBM executive. This mix of academic and corporate leadership brings together research expertise and commercial experience. The founding team reflects the company's origins within a university setting.

The firm focuses on reducing the size, complexity and cost of underwater operations. Its work spans underwater sensing, communications and robotic systems. These technologies carry potential applications across commercial, scientific and defence sectors. This dual-use character broadens the range of markets the company can pursue. It also aligns the firm with defence-linked innovation programmes that support such technologies.

 

Read more: Greensea IQ Wins $18M US Navy Bayonet Underwater Controller Contract

 

The High Dive Technology

 

Among the licensed technologies, High Dive stands out as a central asset. It is a platform designed to connect aerial and underwater systems. The connection is achieved through an ultra-light fiber-optic tether. This tether enables real-time communications, sensing and control between systems operating in different domains. The design links assets above and below the water in a single integrated system.

The technology is positioned as a way to reduce the burden of offshore operations. Traditional offshore work often involves considerable cost and operational complexity. High Dive aims to deliver communications, sensing and control without those conventional demands. By lightening the physical and operational requirements, the platform could make certain underwater tasks more accessible. This aligns with the company's broader goal of simplifying ocean operations.

 

Rhode Island's Innovation Ecosystem

 

The deal is framed as a product of Rhode Island's growing innovation infrastructure. Juice Robotics emerged from URI's entrepreneurship ecosystem, drawing on support from URI Innovations and the RISE-UP programme. RISE-UP is an initiative backed by the US Office of Naval Research that focuses on accelerating dual-use technology commercialisation. Through these programmes, the company received entrepreneurial training, mentorship, intellectual property support and commercialisation guidance. This support structure helped move the venture from research toward a viable business.

For the past two years, the company has operated from an Ocean Technology Center pilot incubator at URI's Bay Campus. The incubator provides early-stage companies with workspace, specialised facilities and a network of researchers and industry partners. The company's progress has helped inform plans for a full-scale Ocean Technology Innovation Center at the campus. That facility is intended to anchor a planned Ocean Innovation District. University representatives point to the company as an example of Rhode Island's ambition to become a recognised centre for blue technology.

 

Broader Significance for the Blue Economy

 

Company leadership has emphasised the venture's local roots and regional ambition. Chief executive Stephen Piper described the firm as a distinctly Rhode Island story, built by URI students, faculty and alumni and backed by a local investor. He linked the company to the state's long history in shipbuilding, composites, ocean science and national defence. The aim is to combine that heritage with new technologies to build maritime capabilities able to compete globally. This framing ties the company's growth to the wider development of the state's blue economy.

The investor behind the deal echoed this confidence in the regional ecosystem. Tom Sperry, managing partner at Rogue Island Ventures, said the investment reflected a belief that world-class companies can be built in Rhode Island. He pointed to the company's dedicated founders, differentiated URI-derived technology and focus on meaningful blue economy challenges. URI representatives described the outcome as the kind of commercialisation their innovation programmes aim to produce. They characterised it as a model for advancing dual-use technologies from research toward startup formation, investment and market adoption.