Naval Maritime Startup Saronic Raises $55 Million to Build Autonomous Ships for Defense

Naval maritime startup Saronic has successfully secured $55 million in a Series A funding round, spearheaded by Caffeinated Capital and joined by 8VC, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Point72 Ventures, Silent Ventures, Overmatch Ventures, Ensemble VC, Cubit Capital, and the US Innovative Technology Fund.

Founded by former Navy SEAL Dino Mavrookas, Saronic launched in 2022 with a specific focus on developing autonomous surface ships tailored for the US Navy and aligned defense partners.

Core Mission of Saronic

Saronic's core mission involves addressing vital capability gaps at sea through attritable, autonomous platforms. This substantial injection of capital will fuel accelerated research and development alongside an expansion of in-house manufacturing capabilities to facilitate swift production.

In light of the escalating need for autonomous surface vessels, Saronic endeavors to provide a cutting-edge, purpose-built solution for the United States and its allies.

This software and hardware integration aims to optimize autonomous missions, bolstering the range, capacity, and survivability of both the naval fleet and the warfighter.

Saronic claims it is the only company to deliver this pivotal technology, filling a void where conventional shipbuilders, primarily focused on large naval vessels, lack the specialized knowledge and capacity. Simultaneously, other vendors contend with legacy platforms and grapple with challenges in large-scale production.

Dino Mavrookas, co-founder and CEO, emphasized, "America's conventional shipbuilding ecosystem lacks the agility to match the threats posed by our adversaries, and many proposed solutions for the fleet aren't cohesively designed for the mission. Saronic stands apart."

"Saronic has worked closely with the Navy to build a solution that meets their requirements. We're putting software, autonomy, and mission profiles first, reshaping design for rapid production and deployment, and creating a novel breed of autonomous vessels that can meet current and future threats," Mavrookas added.

Raymond Tonsing, founder and managing partner of Caffeinated Capital, expressed admiration for Saronic's transformative potential, noting that its technology is poised to reshape the Navy's operations in the coming century.

Saronic's Two Vessels

Currently, Saronic is developing two vessels: Spyglass, a 6-foot craft, and Cutlass, a 13-foot vessel. Both will be equipped with remotely updatable software and possess the capacity to carry diverse payloads, even in environments with limited communication and GPS accessibility.

For real-time, cooperative, and independent mission-level decision-making, these systems are tailored to adeptly navigate the complexities of maritime settings. These vessels promise minimal life-cycle expenses and offer substantial room for scalability with attritable systems.

"Saronic has brought together the top talent from the innovation world, the military, and the defense industry to address the most critical strategic needs for our Navy," said Joe Lonsdale, the managing partner of 8VC and co-founder of Saronic via the 8VC Build program.