Cities have run out of affordable transport corridors
Congestion costs the 60+ water cities we surveyed more than US$64 billion a year, a new kilometre of road or rail costs around A$1.1 billion and takes a decade to deliver, and urban transport produces about a sixth of global emissions.
Lightweight composite structures, battery energy density and computer flight control now let a vessel lift clear of the water on foils. It uses about half the energy of a diesel bus per passenger-kilometre and a twentieth of a diesel ferry, at two to three times a ferry's speed, and has been in public service in Stockholm for more than two years.
The water metro: a fleet of eight electric foiling vessels on each commercial route, running a turn-up-and-go timetable on a corridor the city already owns.
We identify, build, operate and finance each corridor
Blue Pathways, our AI model, finds the routes. A route goes ahead only above 30% route EBIT.
Build slots with all four foiling makers: Candela, Artemis, Vessev and MobyFly. Deep Power barges handle boarding and charging on the water.
Asset Co owns and finances the fleet. Each City Co runs the service under licence, and the package repeats city by city.
Sydney approved, with Rio and Botany Bay in negotiation
| Route | Status |
|---|---|
| Sydney: Rhodes to Barangaroo | Approved. AMSA, the Australian maritime regulator, is supporting vessel and operator certification. Target service Q2 2027. |
| Rio de Janeiro airports corridor | Sole-source negotiation for a concession of 20+ years |
| Sydney: Botany Bay | Sole-source negotiation for a concession of 20+ years |
| Two developers on the first corridor | Asked us to serve their precincts |
From one route of eight vessels to a A$58.6bn platform market
Water Roads is pre-revenue; figures are model forecasts. TAM: Water Roads Global TAM Model Rev C (August 2026), screened basis, 2026 dollars at 1 USD = 1.52 AUD. Route figures: WR Simplified Financial Model Rev 3.3.
Three ways the SEP network can help
A$15M Series A plus a A$5M SAFE
Fleet debt is arranged separately. We are looking for investors who understand real-world technology, applied AI and infrastructure concessions.
A conversation that leads to something signed
A transport agency, port authority or waterfront developer in an Asian coastal city.
A local entrepreneur for our leadership team
Someone who wants to change how their own city moves.
Ask for the detailed deck or the investor deck
The detailed deck is the SEP Shanghai pitch with its supporting figures. The investor deck is shared with investors on request, under the appropriate confidentiality terms. Write with "SEP Shanghai" in the subject line and say which you would like.
I am at the reunion until 1 November and happy to talk at any of the sessions. More about the company is at waterroads.global.