# Valtec

> Valtec is a San Diego-founded maritime intelligence company turning ocean data into real-time decisions. Its Larus VTOL fixed-wing hybrid drone launches straight off moving fishing vessels - no runway, no shore infrastructure - and its Fulcan AI vision stack reads the water below for fish, vessels and threats. Built first for commercial tuna fleets in Taiwan and the Philippines, Valtec's pitch is blunt: cut a month at sea down to two weeks, burn less fuel, and see what's happening in waters no one else is watching.

- **Founded:** 2024
- **Headquarters:** San Diego, California, United States
- **Founders:** John Keh (Founder & CEO)
- **Team size:** ~22 employees
- **Products:** Larus, Fulcan, AI fishing intelligence
- **Notable:** Raised $2M in its first institutional round with backing from SparkLabs Taiwan, Wavemaker VC and DRONE FUND., Drew angel checks from Kai Huang (Guitar Hero founder) and Kevin Lin (Twitch co-founder)., Deployed drones to collect data from fishing vessels in Taiwan and the Philippines.

## Products & services

- **Larus** — A VTOL fixed-wing hybrid unmanned aerial system engineered for autonomous maritime operations. Roughly 80 km range and two hours of endurance, with AI-enabled modular payloads, launched directly from moving vessels without shore infrastructure. Delivers fishery intelligence, environmental monitoring and maritime security. (Listed as 'coming soon.')
- **Fulcan** — An integrated tech stack combining AI-powered vision, modular hardware and scalable software for real-time detection, monitoring and decision support - with a roadmap toward broader command-and-control for multiple aerial platforms.
- **AI fishing intelligence** — Software that fuses bird radar, sonar, satellite data and drone footage to help tuna fleets find fish faster, cut fuel use and shorten time at sea.

## Achievements

- Raised $2M in its first institutional round with backing from SparkLabs Taiwan, Wavemaker VC and DRONE FUND.
- Drew angel checks from Kai Huang (Guitar Hero founder) and Kevin Lin (Twitch co-founder).
- Deployed drones to collect data from fishing vessels in Taiwan and the Philippines.
- Opened a Kaohsiung, Taiwan office in 2025 to run operations near commercial tuna fleets.
- Featured at SparkLabs Taiwan Demo Day 9.

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — Opened a Kaohsiung office to oversee its drone push for tuna fishing.
- **2025-03** — Closed a $2M round with SparkLabs Taiwan, Wavemaker VC and DRONE FUND; signaled plans for a $4-5M seed.
- **2024-12** — Public profile of Valtec's AI-and-drone approach to commercial fishing in Taiwan and the Philippines.

## Links

- Website: https://www.valtec.ai/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/valtecai

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/valtec
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-27