Models
1
Overview
Early-stage US autonomous-ship startup (Boston/Cambridge MA; founded 2024; founders ex-Navy/Amazon Robotics/iRobot) building a full-size long-range autonomous ship (~190ft Liberty Class); pre-deploy, $64M raised.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
DEPLOY Intelligence
Market intelligence for physical AI
Analyst-grade signals, competitive tracking, and investment context across the global physical AI landscape. Launching 2026.
Key facts
Ambition
Status
Founders' background
Funding raised
Founders
Total funding
Financial stage
Data & sources
Press releases
1
Web sources
2
3 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Blue Water Autonomy on the deployment map
Where Blue Water Autonomy's robots are verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Relationships
Current leadership (3)
- Rylan Hamilton Co-founder and CEOsince 2024-01-01secondary-verified
- Austin Gray Co-foundersince 2024-01-01secondary-verified
- Scott N. Miller Co-foundersince 2024-01-01secondary-verified
Founders (3)
- Rylan Hamiltoncofounderfounded 2024-01-01
- Austin Graycofounderfounded 2024-01-01
- Scott N. Millercofounderfounded 2024-01-01
Safety record
No incidents on record for Blue Water Autonomy.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Recent coverage
Blue Water Autonomy in third-party press
Peer companies
- Saildrone4 models
- Saronic Technologies4 models
- BAE Systems3 models
- Kongsberg Maritime3 models
- Rekise Marine3 models
- Sea Machines Robotics2 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- early
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships (1)
- Damen x Blue Water Autonomy US Navy with Damen Shipyardstechnology
Funding rounds (3)
- Series A2025-11-01
$50M(reported)
- Series A2025-09-01
$50M
Investors: GV (Google Ventures) (lead), Eclipse Ventures, Riot Ventures, Impatient Ventures
- Seed2025-04-01
$14M
Investors: Eclipse Ventures, Riot Ventures, Impatient Ventures
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 5, 2026
Blue Water Liberty-class autonomous ship unveiling
- Record createdJun 3, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Sources (3)
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blue-water-autonomy-announces-50-million-series-a-led-by-gv-to-strengthen-us-maritime-power-with-autonomous-unmanned-ships-302538277.html
- https://breakingdefense.com/2025/09/maritime-tech-startup-blue-water-autonomy-signs-deal-with-conrad-shipyard-for-usv-production/
- https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/11/business/blue-water-autonomy-captainless-ships/
Common questions
- What is Blue Water Autonomy?
- Early-stage US autonomous-ship startup (Boston/Cambridge MA; founded 2024; founders ex-Navy/Amazon Robotics/iRobot) building a full-size long-range autonomous ship (~190ft Liberty Class); pre-deploy, $64M raised.
- What does Blue Water Autonomy make?
- Blue Water Autonomy has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class) (Blue Water Autonomy builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).
- Is Blue Water Autonomy publicly traded?
- No. Blue Water Autonomy is privately held and not publicly traded, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Who competes with Blue Water Autonomy?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to Blue Water Autonomy building in the same form factors include Saildrone, Saronic Technologies, BAE Systems, Kongsberg Maritime.
- Who is the CEO of Blue Water Autonomy?
- Rylan Hamilton is the ceo of Blue Water Autonomy, per the DEPLOY registry.
- How can I invest in Blue Water Autonomy?
- Blue Water Autonomy is a private company; its shares are not available on public markets, so retail investors cannot buy the stock today.
- Where is Blue Water Autonomy headquartered?
- Blue Water Autonomy is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
- Who owns Blue Water Autonomy?
- Blue Water Autonomy is privately held; ownership sits with its founders and private investors.
- Where does Blue Water Autonomy operate robots?
- Blue Water Autonomy is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.
- Is Blue Water Autonomy a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, Blue Water Autonomy ranks in roughly the top under 1% of companies tracked by the registry.
- Is Blue Water Autonomy safe?
- Blue Water Autonomy has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-16
Verification posture
Verified
High confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-16
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- primary-company-ir
- Company IR disclosure
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Blue Water Autonomy.Peer companies
- Saildrone4 models
- Saronic Technologies4 models
- BAE Systems3 models
- Kongsberg Maritime3 models
- Rekise Marine3 models
- Sea Machines Robotics2 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Blue Water Autonomy from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Blue Water Autonomy unveils Liberty-class USV for the U.S. Navy
Blue Water Autonomy unveiled its first vessel, the Liberty-class USV, at WEST 2026 in San Diego. Autonomous vessel design for US Navy operations.
Blue Water Autonomy raises $50M Series A
Blue Water Autonomy, defense-tech startup founded 2024 by Rylan Hamilton (CEO), Austin Gray, and Scott N. Miller, raises $50M Series A.
Blue Water Autonomy partners for scalable autonomous ship production
Blue Water Autonomy announces strategic partnerships aimed at scaling production of autonomous vessels for US Navy.
Blue Water Autonomy Emerges From Stealth with $14M Seed
Blue Water Autonomy emerges from stealth, announces $14M seed funding for autonomous ships for US Navy. Founded 2024 by Navy veterans.
Blue Water Autonomy USV startup nets $14M funding boost
Blue Water Autonomy announces $14M in new funding to develop uncrewed military vessel for US Navy. Boston MA based.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/blue-water-autonomy.md
- RSS feed: /companies/blue-water-autonomy/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/f251f52f-405c-40cc-91e2-16649370d204
- Revision history: /companies/blue-water-autonomy/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Saildrone4 models
- Saronic Technologies4 models
- BAE Systems3 models
- Kongsberg Maritime3 models
- Rekise Marine3 models
- Sea Machines Robotics2 models
Video
Blue Water Autonomy unveiled its first vessel, the Liberty-class, during WEST 2026 in San Diego. The autonomous vessel design draws on successful Axe Bow hull
Today, we're proud to announce our first vessel: the Liberty Class, a 190-foot unmanned surface vessel (USV). In partnership with DAMEN, we’re delivering the n
Rylan Hamilton spent years putting over a million robots into Amazon warehouses. Now, he’s automating the ocean. As the CEO and co-founder of Blue Water Autono
Episode 400 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Rylan Hamilton, CEO & Co-Founder of Blue Water Autonomy. Episode 400! It’s another milestone episode. On Novem
Blue Water Autonomy is building autonomous ships for the U.S. Navy and commercial customers. Their team has launched 100+ hardware products, built some of Amer
Rylan Hamilton, CEO of Blue Water Autonomy, and Marc van Heyningen, COO of Damen Shipyards Group, sit down during the Surface Navy Association's 38th National S
One of the easiest mistakes in engineering is believing that better software eliminates the need for physical testing. But it doesn't. Since the start of Blue W
Blue Water Autonomy, a Boston-based startup, has emerged from stealth with plans to revolutionize naval operations by developing autonomous, captainless ships.
The Liberty Class, a 190-foot unmanned surface vessel (USV). The Liberty Class autonomous ship is designed for the US Navy, funded by private capital, and built
Hiring: Marketing Manager at Blue Water Autonomy Blue Water is building some of the biggest autonomous ships in the world, and now they’re looking for a market
Reality vs attention
Blue Water Autonomy draws attention at the 44th percentile but verifies reality at the insufficient-data level among maritime_surface robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Well-capitalized with $114M raised and recent funding activity. Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 19, 2026