ampStay, an Austrian clean-tech startup developing a new category of onboard wind generation for sailing yachts, has opened a €600,000 funding round to scale production of its backstay-mounted turbine system.
Founded in 2021, the startup has created a backstay-mounted turbine system designed to deliver ‘silent, reliable and continuous power at sea’.
ampStay supplies sustainable energy autonomy on sailing yachts and via a unique wind turbine designed to be operable where others can’t function – because it is flexible and rotates around the backstay of a yacht or any other tensioned cable.
Continuous power generation under sail and at anchor
The system is designed to generate power 24/7, both under sail and at anchor, by integrating directly into the yacht’s existing rigging.
Unlike conventional turbines, which require rigid mounting structures and often create a ‘guitar body’ effect through the hull, ampStay’s modular ‘pearls on a necklace’ design rotates around the backstay and eliminates the need for additional masts while significantly reducing vibration and noise.
The result is a plug-and-play system that claims to be whisper quiet, easy to install and capable of generating between 600–1000W of power in real-world conditions.
Startup targets transition from prototype to commercial rollout
The company is now raising €600,000 to transition from prototype to scaled production.
According to ampStay, as the sailing industry accelerates towards electrification, energy autonomy at sea remains a critical bottleneck. ‘Demand for reliable, sustainable onboard power is rising, yet existing solutions continue to fall short. Solar offers only intermittent supply and traditional wind turbines are limited by noise, vibration and space constraints’.
Originally developed as a personal project by founder Harald Hackenberg (pictured) – a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of management experience – ampStay has evolved into a venture-backed business with strong early validation.
ampStay secures pre-orders and strategic partnerships
The company has spent over two years testing and optimising the system in real-world conditions and has secured 50 pre orders.
The IP-protected design has an established production-ready supply chain and the ampStay has secured strategic partnerships, including with the Austrian Sailing Federation.
The company won the Premio CONI award from the Italian Olympic Committee. It has also raised approximately €500,000 to date, including €400,000 from private investors and €100,000 in public R&D funding.
Direct-to-consumer and OEM channels underpin growth strategy
A key milestone is an initial 50-unit production run, which requires more than €200,000 in upfront manufacturing costs to unlock viable unit economics.
Funding will be allocated across:
- 43 per cent – upfront production costs
- 26 per cent – team expansion
- 13 per cent – marketing and commercial rollout
ampStay operates a direct-to-consumer and distribution-led model, with 75 per cent of sales expected via its own online channels, complemented by marina retail partners and OEM integration with new yacht builds.
With a target market spanning over 3 million sailing yachts globally (and a core serviceable segment of approximately 1.2 million vessels) the company is positioning itself within a high-value, environmentally conscious customer base with relatively low regulatory barriers.
See more information on ampStay online.
Interested parties can also join Yachting Ventures’ Innovation Exchange Session at the Mediterranean Superyacht Forum on 28 April where there will be pitch presentations from eight selected companies across AI & digitalisation, on-shore operations, off-shore operations, and sustainability.
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