There’s a new unicorn defense tech startup in the United States of America. And they want to change how combat happens at sea.

‍What’s happening:‍

• Texas based defense tech startup Saronic has raised $175 million in a new Series B financing round
  
• The financing was led by a16z and included notable participation from venture capital funds such as Caffeinated Capital, NightDragon and angel investors such as Elad Gil
  

The big idea:‍

• Saronic manufactures autonomous surface vessels for military purposes that can be rapidly deployed and fulfil missions without any human intervention
  
• Saronic’s vessels are also capable of being deployed on maritime missions where GPS accessibility is denied due to the environment
  

By the numbers:‍

• The recent Series B financing round of $175M USD gives Saronic a valuation of more than $1B USD
  

Going deeper:‍

• Saronic is developing next generation vessels for combat specifically for the United States Navy as well as their allies globally
  

The intrigue:‍

• Venture capital funds in the United States of America have been deepening their bets on defense tech startups recently, with Sequoia Capital recently funding a startup focused on domestic drone production and a16z recently backing a startup leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence for operating firearms

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