Windward (maritime AI company)

Windward is a maritime artificial intelligence company. Its software analyzes vessel movement data to support sanctions compliance, maritime security, and risk assessment for government and commercial customers.

Windward's software applies behavioral analytics to vessel movement data, building profiles of individual vessels to detect deceptive shipping practices such as location spoofing and "dark" activity. The company holds six granted United States patents covering maritime risk analysis and the detection of manipulated vessel-tracking signals.

Founded in Tel Aviv, Israel, by former Navy officers Ami Daniel and Matan Peled, Windward went public on the London STOCK Exchange in December 2021 before being acquired by U.S. private equity firm FTV Capital in March 2025 for approximately $270 million. The company's data and analysis have been cited in reporting by the Financial Times, The New York Times, The Times, Reuters, and Voice of America, and have served as a source for the United Nations Security Council Panel of Experts in sanctions enforcement investigations.

Founding and early years

Windward was founded in 2010 in Tel Aviv, Israel, by Ami Daniel and Matan Peled, both former officers in the Navy who met during their military service. Daniel served as a naval officer (Lieutenant) and holds an LLB from Tel Aviv University. The company's early focus included combating piracy and analyzing vessel behavior from satellite and AIS data; its first product, MarInt, was developed for intelligence communities and government agencies.

In November 2013, Windward raised $5 million in a Series A round led by Aleph, the first investment from the venture firm's debut fund.

The company's technology drew press coverage for its detection of deceptive shipping practices. In November 2014, Fast Company reported that Windward had identified a 59% increase in ships transmitting incorrect positioning data over two years, with Chinese fishing vessels responsible for more than 40% of falsified position reports. That same year, Windward received the Frost & Sullivan Global Technology Innovation Leader Award, and the following year it was featured in Wired UK's "Europe's Hottest Startups 2015" list for Tel Aviv.

In April 2015, Windward raised $10.8 million in a Series B round led by HORIZONS Ventures, backed by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, with participation from returning investor Aleph, bringing total funding to $15.8 million. The company's early investors also included Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, former CIA Director David Petraeus, and Dan Senor, co-author of Start-up Nation.

In February 2016, the Financial Times featured Windward data in an investigation titled "Europe's ports vulnerable as ships sail without oversight," revealing that 540 cargo ships had entered European ports after passing through [...] hotspots, including Syria and Libya. Daniel told the FT: "At the moment, the sea is a backdoor into Europe, and unless there is clear intelligence or a tip off, most of these vessels are never inspected or intercepted."

In March 2017, The Times of London and Voice of America featured Windward in investigations into "ghost ships" entering European waters. The Times reported that Windward data showed 40 ships from Libya had entered Europe after "Going Dark" by ceasing transmission of their location, with 2,850 instances of vessels going dark before entering European waters in January and February 2017 alone.

In April 2018, Lord Browne of Madingley, former CEO of BP (1995–2007), joined Windward's board of directors after initially investing in 2016. He was appointed chairman in October 2019. In July 2018, the company raised $16.5 million in a Series C round led by XL Innovate, bringing total funding to approximately $39 million. That year, Windward opened an office in London.

In October 2020, Windward partnered with the European Union's Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre-Narcotics (MAOC-N) to combat illegal drug trafficking.

Initial public offering (2021)

On December 6, 2021, Windward became the first pure-play maritime technology company to list on the London Stock Exchange's AIM market. The IPO raised £34.5 million at 155 pence per share, giving the company a market capitalization of £126.5 million. Institutional investors included Hargreave Hale, Gresham House, Premier Miton, and NinetyOne.

CEO Ami Daniel explained the choice of London, stating that "the investor community has an intuitive understanding of the shipping, trading, banking, and freight markets." At the time, Windward had over 70 customers, including BP, Shell, HSBC, and agencies from the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. In 2021, Windward received the Frost & Sullivan Entrepreneurial Company of the Year award for European Maritime Logistics and Global Trade Review's Leader in Trade for Innovation.

Acquisition by FTV Capital (2024–2025)

In December 2024, Windward announced its acquisition by FTV Capital in a take-private transaction valued at £216 million (approximately $270 million), roughly twice its IPO market capitalization and a 47% premium to the previous day's closing price.

At the time of the announcement, Windward reported first-half 2024 revenues of $17.5 million (37% year-over-year growth), with 170 employees.

The acquisition was completed on March 18, 2025, with shares ceasing to trade on the London Stock Exchange the following day. Co-founders Daniel and Peled, each owning approximately 7% of shares, agreed to reinvest 50% of their after-tax proceeds. Israeli venture capital fund Aleph, led by Michael Eisenberg, was the largest shareholder with 14% ownership.

As part of the transaction, FTV Capital's Brad Bernstein (Managing Partner), Jerome Hershey (Principal), and Giovanni Bacarella (Vice President) joined Windward's board.

2025–2026

Co-founder Matan Peled stepped back from his role leading Windward's U.S. business in 2025.

In January 2026, Windward appointed Jon Goldman, previously President of Exiger's Commercial Business, as Chief Revenue Officer.

On February 23, 2026, Windward appointed Stuart Strachan as chairman of the board, succeeding Lord Browne, who had chaired the company since 2019. Strachan had previously served on Windward's board and held senior leadership roles at S&P Global, IHS Markit, and Jane's.

In February 2026, Windward launched the Maritime Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC),launched the Maritime Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC), an intelligence service center serving government, commercial, legal, and insurance customers.

In April 2026, Windward made its first acquisition, acquiring Prominent Edge, a U.S. defense technology company with over a decade of geospatial, maritime, and mission-software work for the U.S. government.

Also in April 2026, Windward announced a partnership with Vantor to integrate Vantor's space-based Sentry satellite monitoring system into Windward's platform.

In June 2026, Windward appointed Robert (Bob) Sharp, a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral and former Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as Chief Maritime Intelligence Officer. Sharp had previously served as Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence and Director of the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office.

Technology and products

Windward's Maritime AI platform processes maritime data from multiple sources, including automatic identification system (AIS) signals, satellite imagery, radio frequency sensors, vessel ownership records, and cargo manifests.

In Forbes in May 2021, analyst David Teich noted that Windward uses deep learning modules to model vessel behaviors and pattern changes. Daniel explained: "We provide a 'glass box' approach in our decision support system, not a 'black box.' The key difference is about explainability of the models."

Products

MAI Expert, launched in June 2024, is a generative AI virtual analyst that automates vessel screening and helps analysts interpret flagged activity, including potential sanctions evasion and illegal fishing.

Early Detection, launched in November 2024, is an AI-based anomaly detection capability that surfaces irregularities in maritime data for further investigation.

Critical Maritime Infrastructure Protection, launched in February 2025, monitors threats to undersea cables, pipelines, and offshore rigs using AI-powered behavioral pattern detection.

Remote Sensing Intelligence, launched in November 2025, integrates multi-sensor satellite and RF coverage with vessel behavioral analytics, which Ship Technology reported enables the detection of vessels that manipulate or disable their AIS tracking systems.

AI-Automated Document Validation, launched in September 2025, cross-checks trade documents against real-world vessel behavior and voyage history.

Detention & Demurrage Automation, launched in February 2025, processes carrier contracts and tariffs at scale to calculate demurrage costs in real time, with Rhenus Logistics as launch customer.

Sequence Search finds behavioral patterns across multiple vessel activities, and was used in Windward's September 2024 analysis of North Korean port-call patterns.

Patents

Windward holds six granted United States patents related to maritime data analysis and the detection of manipulated vessel-tracking signals.

In February 2021, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted Windward U.S. Patent No. 10,922,981, "Risk Event Identification in Maritime Data and Usage Thereof," covering a method of identifying vessel risk events, including compliance, security, and safety risks, by condensing raw maritime data into per-vessel activity summaries and detecting behavioral patterns associated with risk events.

Between 2024 and 2026, the company was granted five additional U.S. patents concerning the detection of falsified Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals.

U.S. Patent No. 12,111,405, "Dead Reckoning-Based Analysis of Fabricated Maritime Data," granted October 8, 2024, compares a vessel's reported position against a dead reckoning estimate derived from its speed and heading.

U.S. Patent No. 12,130,367, "Identifying Spoofed Maritime Signals Based on Receiving Reception Stations," granted October 29, 2024, determines whether reported coordinates fall outside the reception area of the station that received them.

U.S. Patent No. 12,284,523, "Identifying Spoofed Maritime Signals Using Information From Other Vessels," granted April 22, 2025, detects contradictions between a vessel's reported signals and information derived from nearby vessels.

U.S. Patent No. 12,339,375, "Identifying Fabricated Maritime Signals," granted June 24, 2025, identifies location reports describing unfeasible maritime paths.

U.S. Patent No. 12,641,433, "Identification of Replayed Maritime Voyages," granted May 26, 2026, detects location reports replaying a previously transmitted voyage.

According to the company, a further patent application covering dark activity identification is pending.

Government and defense partnerships

United Nations - Windward's data has been cited in reports of the United Nations Security Council Panel of Experts on North Korea sanctions, including the Panel's April 2023 final report (S/2023/171) and September 2023 midterm report (S/2023/656).

INTERPOL - Windward entered into a contract with INTERPOL in the second half of 2023 to support efforts against global maritime crime, including trafficking, smuggling, and illegal fishing; the partnership was publicly announced in February 2024.

Singapore DSTA - In May 2025, Windward signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency to collaborate on Maritime AI research and development.

European Union - Since October 2020, Windward has partnered with the EU's Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre-Narcotics (MAOC-N).

United States - At its 2021 IPO, Windward disclosed customers including agencies from the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.

Commercial partnerships

Energy - Shell and BP use the platform for trade compliance and maritime risk management.

Financial services – Banking clients include HSBC, Danske Bank, and Société Générale for sanctions compliance and trade finance risk assessment.

Insurance - Marine insurance clients include Gard and Lloyd's-affiliated insurers. In an October 2025 Reuters investigation into New Zealand-based insurer Maritime Mutual's coverage of sanctioned-oil shipping, the agency reported that the insurer had resolved to use Windward and Lloyd's List data to identify shadow fleet vessels.

London Stock Exchange Group - In 2023, LSEG integrated Windward's Maritime AI platform into LSEG Workspace, providing intelligence on approximately 117,000 vessels.

Reception

Windward's data and analysis have been used as a source in reporting by outlets including the Financial Times, The Times, Voice of America, the BBC, CNBC, Reuters, and The Economist.

In September 2023, CNBC reported on Windward's identification of over 1,100 tankers associated with Russia that had "gone dark" to evade oil price cap sanctions, with CEO Ami Daniel estimating the illicit trade could be worth "48 billion bucks." In January 2024, CNBC quoted Daniel on the Red Sea shipping crisis, predicting a 40–50% drop in Suez Canal crossings.

Throughout the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis, Windward's transit data and analysts have been cited by outlets covering the closure of the strait and the U.S. naval blockade of Iran, including The New York Times, the Associated Press, the BBC, Al Jazeera, and Argus Media.

The company's data has also been used in policy research and international investigations. In January 2024, the Center for Strategic and International Studies used maritime activity data from the Windward platform in its Hidden Reach study of China's dual-use oceanographic research fleet in the Indian Ocean.

Windward's platform relies in part on AIS data, which researchers have shown is vulnerable to spoofing and manipulation, and several of the company's patents and products address the detection of falsified signals.

Awards and recognition

• Frost & Sullivan Global Technology Innovation Leader Award (2014)
• Frost & Sullivan Entrepreneurial Company of the Year, European Maritime Logistics (2021)
• Global Trade Review – Leader in Trade for Innovation (2021)

See also

• Automatic identification system
• Maritime security
• Sanctions (law)
• Shadow fleet
• Maritime domain awareness
• Dark fleet
• 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis