# Rylan Hamilton

> Rylan Hamilton is the CEO and co-founder of Blue Water Autonomy, a Boston defense-tech company building large, software-defined, uncrewed ships for the U.S. Navy. A Navy surface warfare officer turned robotics entrepreneur, he was an early leader at Kiva Systems (acquired by Amazon for $775M) and co-founded the warehouse-robot maker 6 River Systems (sold to Shopify for $450M). Now he is taking the 'mobile robot' idea back to the ocean - aiming to be the Waymo of the open sea, with a $50M GV-led Series A and a first full-scale autonomous ship slated for the water in 2026.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Blue Water Autonomy
- **Organizations:** Blue Water Autonomy Inc., 6 River Systems, Kiva Systems / Amazon Robotics, Vistaprint, U.S. Navy
- **From:** Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, MBA with distinction, Harvard Business School, Commissioning, U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School (Pensacola, FL)
- **Known for:** Co-founded and sold 6 River Systems to Shopify for $450 million (2019)., Early leader at Kiva Systems, acquired by Amazon for $775 million., Raised over $64 million for Blue Water Autonomy from GV, Eclipse Ventures, Riot Ventures, and Impatient Ventures.

## Career timeline

- **2001-2002** — Joins the U.S. Navy after 9/11 following a finance internship that didn't suit him; trains at Officer Candidate School in Pensacola.
- **2003** — Serves aboard an amphibious transport ship in the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom; takes missile fire on his first day.
- **2000s** — Becomes a surface warfare engineering officer and navigator on a frigate running counter-narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific.
- **post-Navy** — Works briefly in construction management and at Vistaprint.
- **2008-2012** — Joins Kiva Systems with no robotics experience, rising from the warehouse floor into leadership over design and deployment; Amazon acquires Kiva for $775M.
- **2015** — Co-founds 6 River Systems with Jerome Dubois and Christopher Cacioppo; flagship robot 'Chuck' is named after the Charles River.
- **2019** — Shopify acquires 6 River Systems for $450M.
- **2024** — Co-founds Blue Water Autonomy with Austin Gray and Scott N. Miller to build uncrewed ocean-going ships.
- **2025-04** — Leads a $14M seed round for Blue Water Autonomy.
- **2025-08** — Raises a $50M Series A led by GV, bringing total funding to $64M; tests hardware on a 145-ton vessel in the open ocean.
- **2026** — Plans to build and deploy the first full-scale, long-range autonomous ship (100-150 ft) designed to travel thousands of miles.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and sold 6 River Systems to Shopify for $450 million (2019).
- Early leader at Kiva Systems, acquired by Amazon for $775 million.
- Raised over $64 million for Blue Water Autonomy from GV, Eclipse Ventures, Riot Ventures, and Impatient Ventures.
- Successfully tested autonomy hardware and software on a 145-ton vessel in the open ocean.
- U.S. Navy surface warfare officer and combat-deployed veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

## Latest updates

- **2025-08** — Blue Water Autonomy announced a $50M Series A led by GV, total funding reaching $64M.
- **2026** — Company targeting deployment of its first full-scale autonomous ship and eyeing a larger follow-on funding round.

## Links

- Website: https://blw.ai
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rylanhamilton
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg-LFybi6Po

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rylan-hamilton
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-03