Innovation Underground: Puralink Are Redefining Pipe Inspections with Autonomous Robotics

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Bell Allen
April 9, 2025
Puralink, Startmate Summer 25 Accelerator


Underground infrastructure rarely gets the attention it deserves - until it fails.


For utilities and industries reliant on complex, often inaccessible pipe networks.


Puralink is setting out to change that.


The latest version of their autonomous robot, The Ferret, can travel 1 kilometer tethered and up to 16 kilometers untethered to inspect, maintain and (in the very near future) repair pipes. While untethered operations are still undergoing reliability testing, the latest version of the Puralink robot can navigate vertical shafts, intersections and sharp turns, making full pipe coverage not only possible but practical. Integrated with field data and analytics, the Puralink platform is helping teams move from reactive to proactive infrastructure management.


‍In a sector dominated by legacy systems and patchwork solutions, they’re creating a new standard for how infrastructure is maintained and modernised. Puralink's success lies in a rare blend of technical and operational excellence as well as fresh perspective on a painstaking problem.


‍Co-founders, Harrison Crowe-Maxwell, Shyeon Delnawaz and Thien Long Tran, bring deep experience in robotics, software, hardware, and commercial deployment - bridging the gap between R&D and field-ready execution. Lessons from live testing - like discovering how inaccurate dig plans can be - have only sharpened their product-market fit.


‍With regulatory pressure mounting and the cost of failure growing, the demand for smart, scalable solutions in infrastructure tech is rising fast.


Puralink, one of the 16 companies part of the Summer’25 Accelerator cohort, isn’t just meeting the moment - they’re defining what comes next.



📹 Learn more about Puralink from co-founder Shyeon:


If you or someone you know manages pipe assets - Puralink would love to get in touch!


Reach out to the team via their website or on LinkedIn.

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