Corridian wants to move military cargo across contested oceans underwater, out of sight and without a crew. The New England defence startup came out of stealth on Tuesday with a $38 million seed round, according to its announcement.

Point72 Ventures led the round, with Balerion Space Ventures, Harpoon Ventures, DCVC and Marlinspike taking part. Axios first reported the raise on Tuesday morning.

The money will go to developing Corridian's flagship vehicle, building a research and development facility and hiring engineers. It plans to unveil the vehicle in 2027. Co-founder Mike Guay told Axios the company expects to double its workforce over the next year.

“America's dependence on the surface and air domains to move mass at scale is an acute vulnerability,” said Guay, who is also chief executive.

What Corridian is building

Corridian says cheap drones and long-range missiles have made ships and aircraft easier to find and costlier to defend. It also says existing AUVs and submarines limit the Navy's undersea cargo capacity. Neither was designed for large or dense payloads. Guay calls the answer “stealth logistics”.

Corridian designs its ultra-large autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to carry ISO-standard containers. It designs them to travel thousands of nautical miles without a crew. Their first jobs are payload and effects delivery, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and contested logistics.

Guay did not share more specifications, including how the vehicle launches, Axios reported.

“I'd say our platform carries whatever payloads our customers choose. It's a platform in the truest sense,” Guay told Axios.

The company says its supply chain is separate from the shipyards and suppliers that build crewed submarines. It does not compete with them for capacity. Guay told Axios that Corridian is adopting “more of an aerospace manufacturing model”.

Former General Dynamics team, Navy advisers

Guay, Greg Barrow (president), Kyle Arace (chief technology officer) and Mark Bodnar (chief operating officer) founded Corridian in September 2025. Together they led one of the largest undersea autonomy portfolios in the US at General Dynamics. Their earlier programmes entered service with the US Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, the company said.

Retired Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations, is Corridian's senior military adviser.

“AUVs are a critical part of the solution, but only if they can operate at scale, with the ranges and payloads the theater actually demands,” said Franchetti.

Its advisory board also includes Jason Potter, a former acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. Retired Vice Admiral Jeff Trussler, retired Rear Admiral Milton “Jamie” Sands III and investor Stephen Rodriguez sit on it too.

“I backed them from the start because when the shooting starts, anything observable is gone,” Rodriguez, an investor with DCVC, told Axios.