Gander Robotics, a defense and dual-use robotics company focused on maritime safety, announced it has raised $1.1 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Impellent Ventures and Underscore VC. The funding marks the company’s official launch and will support the development and testing of its autonomous rescue technology designed to address the persistent “man-overboard” crisis at sea.
Founded by Navy veteran and MIT entrepreneur Michael Autery alongside robotics expert Lael Ayala, the company originated at MIT Sloan. Autery brings over 15 years of maritime experience, while Ayala contributes deep technical expertise in robotics. Their combined backgrounds helped attract early support from investors, advisors, and defense stakeholders.
The company is targeting a critical safety challenge in maritime operations. Survival rates for individuals who fall overboard remain alarmingly low, approximately 28 percent in the U.S. Navy and just 17 percent in the cruise industry. Existing rescue methods rely heavily on human response times, visual searches, and manual deployment, often taking minutes or longer in situations where seconds are crucial.
Gander Robotics is developing its flagship product, the Autonomous Rescue Swimmer (ARS), to improve these outcomes. The system is designed to be deployed quickly by hand during an overboard incident. It uses AI-powered sonar to locate individuals in difficult conditions, including low visibility and rough waters. Once deployed, the ARS delivers a flotation device, activates a high-visibility flare, and transmits location data via RF tracking, enabling faster and more precise rescue operations.
The newly raised capital will be used to accelerate prototype development and expand testing efforts. The company is already engaging with defense, government, and commercial maritime organizations, including cruise operators, to deploy its technology in real-world environments.
Gander Robotics’ broader vision extends beyond rescue operations. The company aims to build a platform for maritime autonomy that addresses a range of non-kinetic challenges across defense and commercial sectors.
KEY QUOTES:
“Michael Autery is exactly the kind of founder we look for – a rare combination of deep domain expertise, mission-driven conviction, and the intellectual horsepower to build something that truly matters. The military’s non-kinetic challenges – search and rescue, logistics, safety – are among the most underfunded and under-innovated areas in the entire defense ecosystem. Gander is going directly at that gap, and the reception from the Coast Guard and Navy has made clear that the need is real and urgent. We believe this is just the beginning of a company that will define what thoughtful, mission-aligned defense technology looks like for the next decade.”
Phil Beauregard, Partner at Impellent Ventures
“We see Gander Robotics as a platform for maritime autonomy that starts with rescue but extends to the entire ‘non-kinetic’ defense space. Michael is a Navy veteran and ocean engineer who understands this problem at a visceral level. Lael is a brilliant Harvard roboticist and engineer. That background, combined with a technical approach that no one else in the market is pursuing, is exactly the kind of founder and mission we look for. Gander Robotics is solving a real, life-or-death problem with a clear technical edge.”
Lily Lyman, Managing Partner at Underscore VC
“Every sailor and mariner in the world knows the fear of a man-overboard call. 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.”
Michael Autery, CEO and Founder of Gander Robotics
