A brand new ship-building startup known as Blue Water Autonomy has emerged from stealth with the promise of growing captain-less naval ships.
The Boston, Massachusetts-based firm has raised a $14 million seed spherical from Eclipse VC, Riot, and Impatient Ventures. The startup was based in 2024 by former members of the U.S. Navy, leaders of Amazon Robotics, and iRobot.
Blue Water Autonomy joins an ever-growing listing of startups which can be profiting from a splurge in protection funding. Protection tech funding set a new document in 2024, led by Anduril’s $1.5 billion Collection F spherical and Saronic — one other autonomous maritime startup that notched a $175 million Collection B.
The startup says it has developed a full-stack autonomy suite and idea ship designs in “below a 12 months.” It’s already salt-water testing a 100-ton autonomous take a look at vessel simply outdoors of Boston, a spokesperson for the corporate advised TechCrunch.
The seed funding will assist Blue Water Autonomy develop its engineering crew and speed up testing, in accordance with a launch.
“No different firm is tackling this downside on the ship stage like Blue Water,” Seth Winterroth, a accomplice at Eclipse, mentioned in a press release. “The crew is a uncommon mixture of roboticists and Navy veterans that positions them to be a crucial accomplice to the Navy, your complete Division of Protection, and may have a serious affect on the maritime trade.”
