Developing world leading underwater sensor technology
 

Our story

In 2013, while working full time at his own underwater technology consultancy, Torgeir Trøite founded Water Linked in Trondheim, Norway. The objective was to address the need for reliable and affordable technology within the underwater industry through disruptive innovative product design. Oliver Skisland joined the company as CEO in late 2016 and quickly decided they had to test the waters with their newly developed underwater positioning system which they named the Underwater GPS (UGPS).

Oceanology International North America (OINA) in San Diego was chosen to showcase this new technology, where it received an overwhelmingly positive response. Market disruption had begun and we moved quickly to partner with Blue Robotics to ensure the final product was tailored to best suit the customer needs.

Some of our valued partners

This relationship with Blue Robotics has remained strong and is expected to last for many years more due to a shared desire to provide customers with innovative and affordable solutions. As we gained recognition, we developed relationships with other leading vehicle manufacturers including Deep Trekker. The involvement and feedback from these trusted core partners has been integral in the development and success of our underwater navigation line of products.

Following the success of the UGPS it was time for further disruption to the underwater market by addressing the need for a velocity log that could be used on any size of ROV. In 2020 the A50 Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) was launched and this world's smallest DVL was a resounding success, confirming the market was hungry for bigger (yet smaller) and more innovative things.

Solid investors in a fast growing company

Through the successful launch of these innovative products Equinor and Investinor chose the summer of 2020 to join us on our mission and invest in the company, allowing for the continued development of a range of new products to meet the needs of a growing customer base. For us to work with such a heavy weight, hyper relevant duo is key to achieving the goals that were envisaged when Torgeir set up Water Linked in 2013.

This investment has allowed us to expand into an industry that is close to our heart and heritage; aquaculture.

Solid investors in a fast growing company

Through the successful launch of these innovative products Equinor and Investinor chose the summer of 2020 to join us on our mission and invest in the company, allowing for the continued development of a range of new products to meet the needs of a growing customer base. For us to work with such a heavy weight, hyper relevant duo is key to achieving the goals that were envisaged when Torgeir set up Water Linked in 2013.

This investment has allowed us to expand into an industry that is close to our heart and heritage; aquaculture.

Two CCO's hired in 2020-2021

Our perception of the aquaculture industry was that it could make great use of the product synergy from our established underwater navigation line to improve sustainability and productivity in the industry. At this point, late in 2020, it was natural to onboard Bjørn Sirnes as CCO Aquaculture. Bjørn brings a wealth of experience and industry knowledge from a range of industries, including aquaculture.

While aquaculture became a focus for innovation, the demand for our underwater navigation products kept increasing. To support this continuous, rapid growth, and allow Oliver to focus his time where it was most needed, we were fortunate to have Scott McLay join us as CCO Navigation in 2021. With more than 30 years’ experience in the industry, Scott is a recognized professional in the subsea market and he immediately became an invaluable member of our leadership team.

Values

Customer centric, innovative, collaborative

Recognizing the value of collaboration; facilitating knowledge and feedback sharing has made us what we are today. We know that we would not be the global leader in underwater communication had we not listened to our partners and customers who have continuously helped shape our products through dialogue and feedback. Furthermore, listening to our customers supports innovation. Because how do you serve and retain customers who never settle for second best, such as NASA, The US Navy and MIT, without always pushing the boundaries?

The reason we wanted to disrupt the market for underwater acoustics to begin with was simple. We were aware that a wide range of hypothetical applications were impossible due to outdated technology, high price and inconveniently oversized components. Employing the brightest minds around, many stemming from NTNU in Trondheim, has enabled us to tackle these issues by applying advanced mathematics. In short, we have reinvented underwater acoustics so that our products can be used to carry out tasks that previously simply could not be undertaken.

The team 

Meet the people behind the brand. While most of our bright minds are located in Trondheim, Norway where we have our main office, we also have people working remotely from Aberdeen, Scotland and Stavanger, Norway.