The news
Corridian, a Boston-based defense startup, raised $38 million in a seed round led by Point72 Ventures to develop ultra-large autonomous underwater vehicles (UUVs) capable of carrying containerized cargo. The funding will go toward its flagship vehicle, a research and development facility and additional undersea engineering staff.
Balerion Space Ventures, Harpoon Ventures, DCVC and Marlinspike also participated in the round.
“That’s stealth logistics: carrying that cargo underwater, out of sight, autonomously,” said co-founder and CEO Mike Guay.
Why it matters: The company is targeting a gap in military logistics. Existing US Navy submarines and underwater vehicles were not designed to carry large cargo loads, Corridian says.
The details
The vehicles are designed to carry ISO-standard shipping containers thousands of nautical miles without a crew. Their initial missions include payload delivery, intelligence and surveillance, and logistics in contested environments.
Corridian expects to double its workforce over the next year.
The company says it is building a separate supply chain rather than relying on the shipyards and suppliers that serve crewed submarine programs.
Corridian’s four founders bring experience developing undersea drones for military use, including programs at General Dynamics. The company describes their previous work as one of the largest portfolios of undersea autonomy programs in the US.
Guay is CEO, Greg Barrow is president, Kyle Arace is chief technology officer and Mark Bodnar is chief operating officer.
Their previous programs entered service with the US Navy and Royal Australian Navy.
Retired Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Navy's 33rd chief of naval operations, is the company’s senior military adviser.
What’s next
Corridian plans to unveil its first vehicle in 2027.
(Photo: Hennie Stander / Unsplash)
