Boston-based Blue Water Autonomy has announced the close of a $50 million Series A funding round led by GV, with participation from Eclipse, Riot, and Impatient Ventures.
The investment brings the company’s total raised to $64 million since April 2025, when it completed a $14 million seed round.
The company said the funding will allow it to construct and deploy its first long-range, full-sized autonomous ship next year, designed specifically for the U.S. Navy. The announcement also includes the appointment of GV Managing Partner Dave Munichiello to Blue Water’s Board of Directors.
“There is an urgent need for autonomous ships designed specifically for maritime security and logistics,” said Blue Water CEO Rylan Hamilton. “This funding gives our team the resources to build long-range autonomous ships from the keel up that will operate on the open ocean for months at a time. Blue Water Autonomy is laser-focused on perfecting a single platform class. This intentional strategy ensures unmatched quality, speed to market, and reliability from day one.”
The company’s momentum has accelerated since the spring. Blue Water said its team has quadrupled in size, completed on-water engineering tests, and secured long-lead materials from more than 50 suppliers.
The announcement comes as the U.S. Navy seeks new ways to expand its fleet in the face of China’s growing shipbuilding dominance. China’s shipyards have more than 200 times the production capacity of the United States, producing new naval tonnage at a pace the Pentagon has struggled to match. In response, Congress has allocated $2.1 billion for medium-sized unmanned surface vessels, and the Department of Defense has emphasized the need for rapidly producible autonomous platforms.
Blue Water Autonomy describes its approach as building ships that are producible, affordable, and adaptable to a range of missions. The company said the design will allow unmanned vessels to deliver varied payloads, operating as force multipliers alongside traditional manned warships.
The company’s leadership team is composed of proven founders, Navy veterans, and shipbuilding experts. Blue Water recently established a Washington, D.C. office to strengthen its connection with policymakers and the Pentagon. Its staff includes veterans of programs that have delivered more than 30 ships to the U.S. Navy, including destroyers and amphibious ships, as well as DARPA’s NOMARS fully autonomous vessel. The combination of shipbuilding and robotics expertise, the company argues, gives it a unique ability to innovate and scale.
GV’s Dave Munichiello, who has worked with Hamilton for nearly two decades, cited his background in both robotics and defense.
“As a former military officer myself, I’ve seen how great leaders are forged through experience, and Rylan exemplifies that—pairing vision with disciplined execution,” Munichiello said. “At Blue Water, he’s assembled a world-class team to autonomize maritime defense, addressing a mission as urgent as it is consequential.”
With this funding, Blue Water Autonomy joins a growing roster of U.S. companies racing to deliver autonomous vessels that can extend naval reach while easing the strain on traditional shipyards.