Annapolis Marine Tech Founder Theo Vance Lands Navy Contract for Autonomous Vessels

Theo Vance's Annapolis-based marine technology startup, Bluewater Autonomy, won a multi-year Navy contract this month to supply sensor and navigation systems for autonomous surface vessels, a deal the company estimates could be worth up to $40 million over its full term.

Vance, a former Naval Academy instructor who left teaching to found the company eight years ago, built Bluewater Autonomy initially around commercial marine navigation software before shifting focus toward defense applications as the Navy expanded its investment in unmanned surface vessel programs.

"I spent years teaching midshipmen about naval systems, and I kept thinking about how much of the technology I was teaching was going to be obsolete within a decade because of autonomous systems," Vance said. "Starting this company was really about betting on where I thought the Navy was actually heading."

The contract will fund expansion of Bluewater Autonomy's Annapolis engineering team, with Vance saying the company plans to hire approximately 45 additional engineers over the contract's first two years. The company's proximity to the Naval Academy and Annapolis's concentration of former naval officers has made local recruiting easier than competing firms located farther from the water, according to Vance.

Bluewater Autonomy currently employs 80 people and has previously supplied navigation systems for commercial shipping and research vessel clients. Vance said the Navy contract represents the company's first major defense deal and will likely shift the balance of its business toward government contracts going forward.