A new startup named Blue Water Autonomy has come out of stealth mode with ambitious plans to create captainless naval vessels.
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the company has successfully raised $14 million in seed funding from investors including Eclipse, Riot, and Impatient Ventures. Founded in 2024, Blue Water Autonomy was established by a team comprising former U.S. Navy members, as well as leaders from Amazon Robotics and iRobot.
The startup is part of a growing wave of companies capitalizing on increased defense spending, which reached new heights in 2024. This surge was highlighted by Anduril’s impressive $1.5 billion Series F funding round and Saronic, another autonomous maritime startup, which secured $175 million in Series B funding.
According to the company, Blue Water Autonomy has successfully developed a comprehensive autonomy suite and designs for its concept ships in less than a year. They are currently conducting salt-water tests on a 100-ton autonomous test vessel just outside of Boston, as reported by a company spokesperson to TechCrunch.
The fresh capital from the seed round will enable Blue Water Autonomy to expand its engineering team and accelerate its testing processes, as stated in a recent release.
“No other company is addressing this challenge at the ship level like Blue Water,” said Seth Winterroth, a partner at Eclipse. “The team brings a unique blend of robotic expertise and Navy experience, positioning them to become a vital partner to the Navy, the entire Department of Defense, and significantly influence the maritime industry.”
