Blue Water Autonomy lands $50 mln in funding to support unmanned vessel production

August 29, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

Boston-based technology and shipbuilding company Blue Water Autonomy has secured $50 million in Series A funding, led by Google Ventures (GV), to support the construction of unmanned vessels.

With this funding, Blue Water Autonomy will build and deploy its first long-range, full-sized autonomous ship next year. Since the seed round, the team has quadrupled in size, completed successful on-water engineering tests, and started acquiring long-lead material from more than 50 selected suppliers.

“There is an urgent need for autonomous ships designed specifically for maritime security and logistics. 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,” said CEO Rylan Hamilton.

“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 announcement follows Blue Water’s $14 million seed round announced in April 2025, bringing the company’s total funding raised to $64 million.

Pentagon leadership has accelerated plans for autonomous vessels that will help bolster the fleet, leveraging $2.1 billion in new Congressional funding for the medium-sized unmanned surface vessels.

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According to the company, future unmanned ships must be producible, affordable platforms that can deliver varied payloads, while complementing and supporting the advanced capabilities of traditional naval assets.

While focused on initial naval applications, Blue Water sees a massive opportunity in commercial maritime markets that are replete with dull, dangerous, and dirty jobs at sea.