# Dino Mavrookas

> Dino Mavrookas is the co-founder and CEO of Saronic, the Austin company building autonomous surface vessels and shipbuilding capacity for defense and commercial use. A former Navy SEAL and Vista Equity Partners investor, he founded the company in 2022 with a thesis that useful maritime technology must be designed for production at scale.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Saronic Technologies
- **Organizations:** Saronic Technologies, Vista Equity Partners, U.S. Navy SEALs, Navy SEAL Foundation, Pat Tillman Foundation
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Computer engineering degree, Rutgers University, MBA, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School
- **Known for:** Served 11 years as a Navy SEAL with eight combat tours., Named a 2015 Tillman Scholar., Co-founded Saronic, which closed a $1.75 billion Series D at a $9.25 billion valuation in March 2026.

## Career timeline

- **2001** — After the September 11 attacks, explored military service while in college.
- **2004-2015** — Served 11 years as a Navy SEAL, including eight combat tours.
- **2015** — Named a Tillman Scholar while pursuing an MBA at the University of Pennsylvania.
- **2015-2022** — Worked in private equity, including technology investments at Vista Equity Partners.
- **2022** — Co-founded Saronic Technologies in Austin in September.
- **2024** — Saronic launched its first Corsair prototype in July.
- **2025** — Saronic acquired the Gulf Craft shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana.
- **2026** — Saronic raised a $1.75 billion Series D and announced Brownsville, Texas, as the planned site of Port Alpha.

## Achievements

- Served 11 years as a Navy SEAL with eight combat tours.
- Named a 2015 Tillman Scholar.
- Co-founded Saronic, which closed a $1.75 billion Series D at a $9.25 billion valuation in March 2026.
- Led Saronic’s expansion from small autonomous vessels into shipbuilding, including a Louisiana yard and a proposed Brownsville shipyard.
- Serves on the Navy SEAL Foundation board.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Appeared with all four Saronic co-founders in a Sourcery interview and showed the Austin factory.
- **2026-07** — Saronic selected Brownsville, Texas, for Port Alpha, with a planned investment exceeding $3 billion and a target opening in 2028.
- **2026-06** — Saronic reported that a Corsair helped rescue two downed U.S. Army pilots at sea.
- **2026-03** — Saronic closed a $1.75 billion Series D at a $9.25 billion valuation.

## Links

- Website: https://www.saronic.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dino-mavrookas-190244127/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/MavrookasD

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/dino-mavrookas
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-29