Kraken Robotics Inc. announced the passing of founder and former CEO, Karl Kenny on February 11, 2025, at the age of 64. Karl founded Kraken in 2012 and was instrumental in building the company into a leading player in subsea robotics over his 10-year tenure, before retiring in December 2022.
“An ideas man and a builder, Karl’s energy was as relentless as his passion to compete against the bigger industry players,” said Greg Reid, President and CEO of Kraken Robotics. “He was an incredible force that drove Kraken to success. On behalf of the Board of Directors, management and employees, he will be sorely missed.”
Karl grew up in a small fishing village in Newfoundland with a deep connection to the sea. Over his 45-year career in the marine technology industry, he led the development of a wide range of advanced marine technologies and products in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
Karl spent time as a maritime surface officer with the Canadian Navy and was always involved in high technology. In the 1980’s, he was a part of the Microsoft mouse project team and in the 1990’s he formed Telepix, a leader in photo e-commerce solutions. He co-founded Marport Deep Sea Technologies Inc. in July 2003 and served as its President and CEO until December 2011. In 2012, Karl founded Kraken to commercialize compact, lower-cost synthetic aperture sonar technology for unmanned systems.
“Karl’s strategic vision and entrepreneurial spirit enabled Kraken, a small start-up out of Newfoundland, to punch well above our weight and become recognized world-wide for our high-resolution synthetic aperture sonar technology,” said David Shea, Executive Vice President and CTO of Kraken Robotics. “We’re grateful for everything Karl contributed to Kraken and recognize that he leaves behind a legacy of innovation and excellence that we will continue to carry on in our work.”