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§ Private Profile · Boston, MA, USA
Startup designing and building autonomous surface ships for the defense sector, focused on naval operations.
Founded in the spring of 2024 by Rylan Hamilton and Austin Gray, Blue Water Autonomy designs and builds modular autonomous surface ships for naval operations. Based in Boston, the startup develops software-defined maritime vessels weighing 145 tons that execute long-endurance missions without requiring constant human maintenance or traditional chase boats. Operating with a defense-first strategy, the company targets the United States Navy as its primary customer to complement manned fleets with cost-effective platforms offering dual-use potential. To support rapid production and its goal of becoming the Waymo of the open ocean, the enterprise secured $50 million in Series A funding led by Google Ventures. Scaling operations further, the firm established a strategic manufacturing partnership with Conrad Shipyards, appointed an advisory board featuring former Pentagon leaders, and opened a Washington DC office.
Blue Water Autonomy has raised $64.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Blue Water Autonomy has raised $64.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Blue Water Autonomy is a Boston-based technology and shipbuilding company founded in 2024, specializing in autonomous naval ships designed from the keel up for the U.S. Navy and commercial maritime markets[1][2][3][5]. With around 10 employees initially, the team has grown by fusing expertise from U.S. Navy, Amazon Robotics, iRobot, and shipbuilding veterans to build highly producible, modular unmanned vessels—half a football field long—that enable long-range missions with unmatched endurance, carrying significant payloads for maritime security and logistics[1][2][3]. The company solves the urgent need for affordable, scalable autonomous platforms that complement traditional naval assets, revitalizing U.S. shipbuilding amid rising global demand; it has raised $64 million total ($14M seed in April 2025, $50M Series A in August 2025 led by GV), fueling prototype testing, team expansion, and a new D.C. office[1][2].
These ships feature autonomous navigation, remote control, open modular payload bays for rapid sensor swaps (hours, not months), and over-the-air updates, targeting dull, dangerous, and dirty sea jobs while bridging gaps between short-range unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and large naval programs[2][3].
Blue Water Autonomy emerged in 2024 from founders Rylan Hamilton (CEO), Scott N. Miller, and Austin Gray (CSO), all with deep roots in robotics, Navy service, and defense tech[1][2][5]. Hamilton, a former U.S. Navy surface warfare officer, led at Amazon Robotics, founded 6 River Systems (sold to Shopify for $450M), and worked on undersea ROVs; Miller engineered Roomba/Scooba at iRobot, scaled Dragon Innovation (acquired by Avnet), and contributed to Disney R&D; Gray modernized Navy tech as an intelligence officer on carrier strike groups[5]. The idea crystallized from front-line lessons—like Ukraine's drone innovations and U.S. Navy needs—spotting a gap for "the largest mobile robots in the world": full-stack autonomous warships, not retrofits[2][3][4][5].
Stealth mode followed founding, with early research on supply chains, tech, and customers leading to a 150-ton test vessel near Boston for agile hardware/software iteration; seed funding in April 2025 enabled team assembly and prototypes, marking pivotal traction before the Series A[1][4].
Blue Water Autonomy rides the defense tech revolution—fueled by Ukraine's drone warfare, surging global demand for autonomous maritime solutions, and U.S. needs for scalable naval power amid shipbuilding delays[2][3][5]. Timing aligns with policy shifts toward unmanned systems, bridging USVs and crewed warships to deploy more assets faster without crew risks, countering adversaries in Pacific logistics[2][3]. Market forces like labor shortages in "dull, dirty, dangerous" maritime jobs favor expansion to commercial sectors, while their standards-setting (e.g., OTA for ships) influences ecosystem norms, policy, and benchmarks for sea autonomy[2][3].
Blue Water Autonomy's $64M war chest and GV-led board addition position it to deliver initial prototypes soon, scaling production of long-endurance warships for U.S. Navy contracts and commercial fleets[2]. Trends like AI-driven autonomy, modular defense hardware, and geopolitical tensions will accelerate adoption, potentially evolving their influence from niche innovator to industry leader redefining naval power. As generational founders tackle overdue maritime innovation, they tie back to revitalizing U.S. shipbuilding—ensuring fleets stay strong in an unmanned era[1][3][5].
Blue Water Autonomy has raised $64.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Blue Water Autonomy's investors include GV, Eclipse Ventures, Dave Munichiello, Eclipse, Impatient Ventures, Riot Ventures.
Blue Water Autonomy has raised $64.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $50.0M Series A in August 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2025 | $50M Series A | GV | Eclipse Ventures, Dave Munichiello, Eclipse, Impatient Ventures, Riot Ventures | Announced |
| Apr 1, 2025 | $14M Seed | — | Eclipse Ventures, Dave Munichiello, Impatient Ventures, Riot Ventures | Announced |