The most expensive part of running an undersea robot is often the ship that follows it around to keep it charged. For operators in defense, research, and offshore energy, the logistics of retrieving and redeploying an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) can cost more than the vehicle itself. Pittsburgh Coastal Energy is betting that the ocean itself can solve the problem. Its device harvests wave motion to recharge subsea robots where they work.
The Wedge: Power Without a Ship
The company’s core technology is a Polar Ionic Nanogenerator, or PING. Founder and CEO Priscilla Prem invented it during her PhD work at the University of Pittsburgh [pghcoastal.com/team]. The promise is a compact, durable unit that converts the kinetic energy of small ocean waves into electricity without moving parts that seawater can corrode.
Pittsburgh Coastal packages this into its SERPENT platform (Subsea Energy Recharging Platform Enabled by Nanogenerator Technology). It is designed to be mounted on an AUV or a stationary docking station on the seafloor [pghcoastal.com/tech]. The company claims the tech can deliver up to 100 times more power than existing solutions for subsea energy harvesting [pghcoastal.com].
A Team Built for the Deep End
Prem, a U.S. Navy veteran, brings a practical understanding of maritime operations to the hardware challenge [LinkedIn]. The team’s early validation has come from a series of competitive wins and institutional backers that specialize in tough tech.
They took the top student startup prize at SXSW Pitch in 2026, won the University of Pittsburgh’s Big Idea Competition in 2025, and were selected as one of 20 winners in the first round of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Power at Sea Prize [SXSW, 2026] [University of Pittsburgh] [Department of Energy]. Their investor list includes The Engine, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), VentureWell, and the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute [PitchBook].
| Name | Role | Key Background |
|---|---|---|
| Priscilla Prem | Founder & CEO | PhD candidate (PING inventor), U.S. Navy veteran [pghcoastal.com/team, LinkedIn] |
| Bobby Karnavas | Mechanical Design Lead | Leads testing and prototyping for the SERPENT platform [pghcoastal.com/team] |
The Long Road from Lab to Ocean
For all its promise, Pittsburgh Coastal Energy is at the beginning of a difficult path. The company has not publicly disclosed any commercial customers, deployment partners, or a formal funding round.
- The 100x Claim. The headline power claim is dramatic but unverified by third-party testing.
- The Integration Challenge. Getting a new power system qualified and integrated into existing AUV platforms from companies like Boeing or Kongsberg is a multi-year engineering and sales undertaking.
- The Unit Economics Test. The value proposition only works if the cost of the SERPENT unit and its installation is significantly less than the lifetime cost of the surface support vessels it aims to replace.
What Success Looks Like
The next twelve months will be about moving from the lab and the pitch stage to the ocean. The logical first step is a publicly announced pilot with a defense or research partner. This proves the technology can reliably harvest energy and extend a mission in a controlled, real-world setting.
For the company to succeed, its SERPENT platform must become more reliable and cost-effective than the incumbent it seeks to displace: not another battery, but a diesel-powered ship.
Sources
- [pghcoastal.com] Pittsburgh Coastal Energy Website | https://www.pghcoastal.com
- [University of Pittsburgh] Pitt Big Idea Competition 2025 Winners | https://innovation.pitt.edu
- [pghcoastal.com/team] Pittsburgh Coastal Energy Team Page | https://www.pghcoastal.com/team
- [LinkedIn] Priscilla Prem LinkedIn Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscillaprem/
- [SXSW, 2026] 2026 SXSW Pitch Winners Announced | https://sxsw.com/news/2026/sxsw-pitch-winners-announced/
- [Department of Energy] Power at Sea Prize Phase 1 Winners | https://energy.gov
- [PitchBook] Pittsburgh Coastal Energy Investor Profile | https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/771576-04