Saronic secures $600M investment for autonomous shipbuilding

Saronic Technologies, US-based defense maritime defense technologies developer, announced it has closed $600 million of funding for its Series C round to advance its mission of redefining maritime superiority for the United States and its allies. The round was led by Elad Gil and values the company at $4 billion. This most recent round quadrupled Saronic’s valuation just seven months after the company hit unicorn status in July 2024. Saronic welcomes General Catalyst as a new investor and recognizes commitments from existing investors, including a16z, Caffeinated Capital, and 8VC.

The raise marks a new phase in advancing autonomy for naval and maritime missions. With this funding, Saronic plans to build Port Alpha, a next-generation shipyard capable of delivering new classes of unmanned ships at the speed and scale needed to protect and defend the maritime domain. Port Alpha will enable the expansion of Saronic’s Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) fleet into medium and large-class autonomous ships for defense applications. With this move, Saronic is addressing gaps in U.S. shipbuilding capacity and investing in the critical infrastructure to deliver the range and volume of autonomous ships needed to create and sustain the U.S. military’s hybrid fleet.

🎤 “A core principle of Saronic is that we design our vessels for autonomy from the keel up”, said Saronic CEO and Co-Founder Dino Mavrookas. “We will take the same approach with Port Alpha, designing a shipyard from the ground up to produce at a speed and scale not seen since World War II. Port Alpha will reflect the apex of America’s shipbuilding past — generating new opportunities for the country’s shipbuilding workforce, forging public-private partnerships to accelerate growth, and bringing innovation and ingenuity to an essential industry. We will bring these elements together with a single goal: to rapidly build a fleet of autonomous vessels in America that redefine maritime superiority and guarantees freedom of the seas for generations to come.”

🎤 “The last years have seen a degradation in the capacity for the United States to build ships and to manufacture core needs of the country. I am excited to back Saronic and its focus on revitalizing shipbuilding in America, while also building products to defend those interests,” said Elad Gil, CEO, Gil Capital.

🎤 “At General Catalyst, our mission is to help modernize our nation’s defense and industrial resilience,” said Paul Kwan, Managing Director, General Catalyst. “The velocity and economics of warfare have fundamentally evolved and several of our own team have witnessed firsthand how unmanned systems became true force multipliers in Afghanistan and in other theaters of conflict. Saronic represents a paradigm shift for our maritime resilience. GC is proud to help Saronic transform our shipbuilding industry and provide the capabilities needed for the Navy’s modern hybrid fleet.”

🎤 “As a founder of Palantir and Addepar, and an investor in every funding round at Anduril, I’ve seen many exceptional companies and intense cultures,” said Joe Lonsdale, Founder and Managing Partner, 8VC. “Saronic goes toe to toe with any of these legendary companies on its exceptional talent, intensity of effort, and mission-driven passion. We are proud to have supported Dino from day 1. Saronic is one of the most important, and most impressive companies in the USA. It is critical to our national security, and to the future of the free world!”

This announcement comes on the heels of a strong 2024 for Saronic that included the development and delivery of Corsair, its largest ASV model to date; the acquisition of a ~420,000-square-foot production and manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, to support the growing demand for its existing family of ASVs; a successful Series B funding round; and continued growth with U.S. government customers.

📃📷 Source: Erin Pace, Saronic