Caudal Energy
Caudal Energy (an Oxford University spinout) is developing a new class of predictable, baseload marine energy generation.
- Cohort
- Spring 2026
- Sector
- Energy & Power · Industrial & Manufacturing
What they do
Inspired by the natural movement of a whale's tail, their technology generates clean power from abundant, medium-flow tidal sites that traditional turbines cannot economically reach.
Product & technology
Instead of using traditional rotating turbines that require extreme high-flow conditions, Caudal Energy has developed a proprietary oscillating foil system. This "hydrodynamic mirror" of a marine mammal's tail converts energy through lift and motion, generating higher power with lower stress on the system. Their 1MW generators are modular, storm-resilient, and surface-mounted, keeping all complex electrical components out of the water to drastically reduce installation and maintenance costs.
Why we invested
- →By operating efficiently in mid-flow locations, Caudal expands viable tidal sites by 10x (representing 30GW in the UK alone).
- → Tidal energy is fully predictable; deploying 10GW of it could save the UK grid £900M per year in balancing costs.
- →he modular architecture provides a clear path to a long-term LCOE of £40-£50/MWh, making it cheaper than floating offshore wind.
- →They are perfectly positioned to provide local, dependable power directly to grid-constrained customers like data centres, ports, and islands
