BOSTON – Blue Water Autonomy, a Boston-based startup, has just announced the closing of a $50 million Series A funding round led by GV, with participation from Eclipse, Riot, and Impatient Ventures.
This investment brings the company's total capital raised to $64 million since April 2025, when it completed a $14 million seed round.
The company stated that this new funding will enable it to build and deploy its first full-sized, long-range autonomous vessel next year, specifically designed for the U.S. Navy. The announcement also included the appointment of GV Managing Partner, Dave Munichiello, to Blue Water's Board of Directors.
Blue Water's CEO, Rylan Hamilton, stated, "The need for autonomous vessels tailored for maritime security and logistics is urgent. This funding provides our team with the resources to build long-range autonomous vessels from the keel up, capable of operating on the high seas for months at a time. Blue Water Autonomy is focused on perfecting a single platform class. This strategy ensures superior quality, speed to market, and reliability from day one.”
The company’s momentum has been accelerating since the spring. Blue Water reported that its team has quadrupled in size, completed on-water engineering tests, and secured long-lead materials from over 50 suppliers.
This announcement comes as the U.S. Navy is seeking new ways to expand its fleet in the face of China's growing shipbuilding dominance. Chinese shipyards possess over 200 times the production capacity of the United States, producing new warship tonnage at a rate the Pentagon is struggling to match. In response, Congress has allocated $2.1 billion for medium uncrewed surface vessels, and the Department of Defense has emphasized the necessity of rapidly producible autonomous platforms.
Blue Water Autonomy describes its approach as building ships that are mass-producible, affordable, and adaptable to a variety of missions. The company said its design will allow the uncrewed vessels to carry diverse payloads, acting as force multipliers alongside traditional crewed warships.
The company's leadership team includes veteran founders, Navy veterans, and shipbuilding experts. Blue Water recently established a Washington, D.C. office to strengthen its connections with policymakers and the Pentagon. Its staff includes veterans of programs that have delivered over 30 ships to the U.S. Navy, including destroyers and amphibious vessels, as well as DARPA’s fully autonomous NOMARS vessel. The company argues that its blend of shipbuilding and robotics expertise gives it a unique capability to innovate and scale.
Dave Munichiello of GV, who has worked with Hamilton for nearly two decades, shared his experience in both the robotics and defense sectors.
“As a former military officer, I’ve seen great leaders forged by experience, and Rylan is a prime example – combining vision with disciplined execution,” Munichiello said. “At Blue Water, he has assembled a world-class team to automate maritime defense, tackling a mission that is both urgent and important.”
With this funding, Blue Water Autonomy joins a growing roster of U.S. companies racing to provide autonomous vessels that can extend the navy's reach while easing the strain on traditional shipyards.
