Insider Brief
- Gander Robotics raised $1.1 million in a pre-seed round co-led by Impellent Ventures and Underscore VC to develop autonomous systems targeting maritime man-overboard incidents.
- The company’s Autonomous Rescue Swimmer uses AI-enabled sonar and onboard sensors to locate victims in low-visibility conditions and deploy flotation, signaling and tracking tools to support recovery.
- Gander said the funding will support prototype development and testing as it engages defense, government and commercial operators, targeting non-kinetic applications in maritime safety and rescue.
Gander Robotics has raised $1.1 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Impellent Ventures and Underscore VC, to develop autonomous systems that address the maritime “man-overboard” problem.
According to the Massachusetts-based defense robotics startup, the initial funding will support continued prototype development and testing of its flagship system, the Autonomous Rescue Swimmer, as well as engagements with defense, government and commercial maritime operators.
“Every sailor and mariner in the world knows the fear of a man-overboard call,” CEO and founder Michael Autery said in the announcement. “I built this company because this problem hits home for me, and I know we can do better. Our technology is a fundamentally new approach to saving lives at sea.”
In the U.S. Navy, roughly 28% of personnel who fall overboard survive, while survival rates in the cruise industry are closer to 17%, the company noted. Current rescue efforts rely heavily on human detection and response, often delaying recovery in time-critical situations.
The Autonomous Rescue Swimmer is designed to be deployed immediately during a man-overboard event and uses AI-enabled sonar and onboard sensors to locate individuals in low-visibility or rough-water conditions. Then it deploys its flotation, signaling and tracking capabilities to stabilize the victim and guide recovery teams.
The company was founded by Autery, a U.S. Navy veteran and ocean engineer, and Lael Ayala, a robotics engineer, with origins at MIT Sloan. The company said it is targeting both military and commercial applications within the broader category of non-kinetic defense systems focused on safety, logistics and search-and-rescue operations.
