Splash Industries, a California-based defense technology startup, has raised $4.2 million to expand production of its autonomous surface vessels for military logistics and maritime surveillance.
The funding round, led by Ubiquity Ventures, follows the company’s participation in the Rim of the Pacific exercise, the world’s largest international maritime drill 1 2. During the exercise, Splash conducted unmanned resupply missions, delivering parts to the amphibious assault ship USS Essex and the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt 1 2.
Founded in 2024 by Ivan Avanesov and Marcell Veszpremi, the Y Combinator-backed company is focused on building low-cost drone boats capable of operating in contested environments 3. The company currently produces the 11-foot Typhoon surface vessel and is developing a larger platform, the Tempest, which the company says will carry 1,500 pounds over 300 nautical miles 1.
The startup emphasizes in-house design of its software, electronics and sensors to control manufacturing costs. According to lead investor Ubiquity Ventures, the Typhoon sells for approximately one-tenth the cost of comparable systems and can be assembled in eight hours 2.
The funding arrives as the U.S. Navy and allied forces increasingly explore autonomous maritime systems to address contested logistics and expand domain awareness across vast operational areas like the Indo-Pacific.
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