Remember when we said maritime autonomy is all the rage? Well, some heavy-hitting investors have just proved our point.
Yesterday, USV company HavocAI announced that they’ve raised $85M in new capital from B Capital, In-Q-Tel, Lockheed Martin, Hanwha, Taiwania, Vanderbilt University, Up Partners, Island Green Capital, and Zero Infinity Partners—all new investors. Scout Ventures and Outlander Ventures, and “other early funders,” also returned to the table.
HavocAI CEO Paul Lwin told Tectonic that the company will use the funding to “scale and accelerate [their autonomy stack], as well as move [their] technology to other domains.”
Plus, he said:
- The cash will “enable integration onto entirely new vessel types and sizes, increasing the capability and interoperability of platforms leveraging HavocAI’s technology.”
- The funding also means the company can scale up manufacturing “to meet the U.S. military’s demand signal to build thousands of autonomous boats that can be used immediately.”
- The company also plans to expand its operations beyond the US and “provide additional direct support to our international allies and partners, especially in the Indo-Pacific.”
The money moves just keep on coming, don’t they?
Out to sea: If you’re a regular reader of Tectonic (or came to our summit in Austin), you’ll know about HavocAI. The startup was founded in early 2024 and has scaled super-quick: Within a year of founding, they’d raised $11M and had real, live boats in the water.
They’ve had a pretty busy few months and have made some friends in very high places:
- In July, they signed a partnership with Lockheed Martin (now an investor, you’ll notice) to build medium-sized unmanned vessels.
- In June, they teamed up with radar company Tocaro Blue to build their ProteusCore system onto Havoc’s boats.
- Also in June, they teamed up with Hawaii-based R&D firm PacMar to build larger autonomous vessels—including one that’s 100 feet. The bigger the better.
- Last week, they teamed up with motor company Ilmor to stick some of their famous electric racing engines on Havoc’s boats.
The company has a few different vessels, from the teeny-tiny up to ship-sized:
- Their flagship USV is the 14-foot Rampage, a super-low-cost sea drone that can be deployed in swarms.
- Earlier this year, the company unveiled the 38-foot Seahound and stuck their autonomy stack on the 42-foot KaiKoa, built by PacMar.
- Lwin told Tectonic that they also have a 100-foot vessel—also built with PacMar—in the water.
And the boats really do float (and much more). HavocAI has done a ton of successful demos for the DoD, and even won the Army’s xTech Pacific competition last month with its 14-foot Rampage and 42-foot KaiKoa boats.
South Pacific: So, what’s the plan from here? Onwards and upwards, with an eye on the Indo-Pacific, Lwin said. Helps that one of their main investors is Taiwan’s sovereign VC fund—Taiwania Capital.
“The participation of Taiwania underscores the global nature of maritime security challenges and the universal need for advanced autonomous capabilities,” Lwin said. David Weng, General Partner at Taiwania, said that “going forward, one of [their] goals is to bring HavocAI to collaborate with local partners here in Taiwan.”
All in all, Lwin said the round shows how much investors are prioritizing capabilities that could be a game-changer in a potential fight with China.
“Investors are clearly very interested in supporting our national security, especially in ways that can enhance military readiness and lethality in the Indo-Pacific region, which is largely a maritime challenge,” he said. “It also shows investors believe in HavocAI’s proven capabilities, and are encouraged by what they’ve seen in such a short amount of time.”