Best Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech Companies in Massachusetts, United States
The 125 best Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in Massachusetts, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Merlin Labs.
Our analysis of 50 Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies
$31.9b in tracked funding; 90% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2021.
Ranked: Best Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in Massachusetts
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Web popularity | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merlin Labs Developer of AI-enabled autonomous pilot software for civil and military aviation | $134M | 47 mo ago | 44 | Matt George Founder & CEO | DrupalApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+26 | Top 5M | 614 patents Advanced directional drilling control, communication networks, and monitoring systems for oil/gas wells | 1 expansion |
| 2 | REGENT Craft Developer of wing-in-ground technology-based electric sea gliders | $94M | 23 mo ago | 45 | Michael Klinker Co-Founder and CTO | WebflowApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+18 | Top 5M | 50 patents Advanced hydrofoil and winglet control systems for marine and aerial craft | 1 internship · 1 expansion · 1 award |
| 3 | Accion Developer of ion beam-based electric propulsion systems for satellites | $72M | 21 mo ago | 23 | Natalya Bailey Founder | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Mercury Systems Manufacturer of mission-critical processing subsystems, components, and solutions for aerospace | $63M | 72 mo ago | 2,596 2,596 → 2,300 (-11%) | — | Concrete CMSApple iCloud MailPHP+33 | Top 5M | — | — |
| 5 | Altaeros Provider of wireless network infrastructure solutions 55Funding top 28%Moat top 28%Talent top 38%Innovation top 41% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 28% Moattop 28% Talenttop 38% Innovationtop 41% AItop 45% Techtop 50% Growthbottom 48% Patentsbottom 46% Marketbottom 40% Globalbottom 39% Newsbottom 22% Funding: Raised $61.7M across 9 rounds · 9 rounds over 13 yrs (0.7/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 8/10 · IP moat: 21 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 55/100 | $62M | 18 mo ago | 41 41 → 44 (+7%) | Ben Glass Co-Founder | WordPressApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+25 | Top 10M | 21 patents Tethered aerostat platforms for energy generation and payload control systems | — |
| 6 | Sea Machines Provider of unmanned surface vehicles for industrial purposes | $46M | 29 mo ago | 26 26 → 58 (+123%) | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+32 | Top 5M | — | — |
| 7 | CyPhy Works Developer pf microfilament-based secure multi-copter drones | $37M | 95 mo ago | 57 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Guardian Provider of drone-based crop protection solutions | $36M | 36 mo ago | 20 | Adam Bercu Co-Founder & CEO | WordPress Site EditorWordPressMySQL+18 | Top 50M | 3,619 patents Energy‑efficient coated glass and low‑E/UV‑blocking optical components for building and electronics. | — |
| 9 | Neurala Developer of vision artificial intelligence software for industrial quality inspections | $33M | 59 mo ago | 30 | Anatoli Gorchet Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer | HubSpot CMS HubYouTubeHubSpot+19 | Top 50M | 74 patents Edge AI continual learning and on-device anomaly detection using adaptive deep neural networks | — |
| 10 | Raptor Maps Provider of solar asset management platform using aerial and sensor data 57AI top 15%Funding top 32%Growth top 32%Talent top 34% All 12 signals ▾AItop 15% Fundingtop 32% Growthtop 32% Talenttop 34% Producttop 40% Moattop 41% Techbottom 49% Marketbottom 41% Globalbottom 39% Innovationbottom 33% Patentsbottom 31% Newsbottom 21% AI: Holds AI/ML patents (G06N-family CPC) Funding: Raised $27.5M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 11 yrs (0.5/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 57/100 | $28M | 18 mo ago | 64 | Edward Obropta Co-Founder & CTO | Framer SitesApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+14 | Top 10M | 4 patents UAV‑based remote sensing and edge computing for precision agriculture crop monitoring | — |
| 11 | AirQtel Provider of ultra-high precision aerial surveillance data 27Funding top 38%Talent bottom 49%Global bottom 25% All 3 signals ▾Fundingtop 38% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 25% Funding: Raised $27.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 27/100 | $27M | 15 mo ago | — | Vin Loccisano Founder & CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Aria Insights Developer of hexacopter drones and AI-based analytics software | $25M | 87 mo ago | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | CargoMetrics Offers technology and method development for measuring maritime trade and in other fields | $24M | 28 mo ago | 19 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | ShipIn Provider of vessel monitoring and safety systems 45Tech top 28%Funding top 38%Talent top 38%Growth top 45% All 6 signals ▾Techtop 28% Fundingtop 38% Talenttop 38% Growthtop 45% Globalbottom 37% Marketbottom 31% Tech: 59 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare Funding: Raised $24.0M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 6 yrs (0.3/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 45/100 | $24M | 9 mo ago | 37 | Osher Perry Co-Founder & CEO | WordPressSentryMySQL+31 | Top 5M | — | 1 launch |
| 15 | SiOnyx Manufacturer of digital night vision cameras and sensors | $21M | 166 mo ago | 39 39 → 41 (+5%) | Eric Mazur Co-Founder | Apple iCloud MailRubyRuby on Rails+26 | Top 5M | 234 patents Low-light imaging devices using microchannel plates and textured optical surfaces for AR/night vision. | — |
| 16 | Flux Marine Electric boating: Revolutionizing marine propulsion with sustainable, powerful systems | $16M | 7 mo ago | 30 | Jonathan Lord Co-Founder & CTO | Webflow EcommerceWebflowStripe+16 | Top 5M | 30 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | — |
| 17 | Maglev Aero Developer of e-VTOL aircraft | $12M | 16 mo ago | 24 | — | VimeoReactReact Router+10 | Top 50M | 50 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | — |
| 18 | Specter Aerospace Hypersonic aircraft | $10M | 36 mo ago | 28 | Drew Weibel Co-Founder | WebflowPHPBambooHR+8 | Top 10M | — | 1 job opening |
| 19 | Plymouth Rock Provider of AI-based radar imaging and signal processing based threat detection solution | $7M | 34 mo ago | — | Philip Lancaster CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | American Robotics Provider of drone-based monitoring and mapping solutions for agriculture | $6M | 61 mo ago | 51 | — | Wix eCommerceWixSentry+16 | Top 50M | 28 patents Patents concentrated in health & consumer products | — |
| 21 | Terrafugia Developer of the multi-utility aircraft | $6M | 168 mo ago | 11 | — | Apache HTTP ServerCloudflareGoDaddy+1 | Top 50M | 27 patents Dual-mode VTOL aircraft integrating automotive gear and flight control systems | — |
| 22 | HarborMoor Provider of an online community for boat owners | $6M | 34 mo ago | — | John Howie Co-Founder | Node.jsGoogle Sign-inUbuntu+19 | Top 50M | — | — |
| 23 | Diffraqtion Developer of quantum imaging technology designed to enhance visual capabilities in satellites and machines… | $5M | 3 mo ago | — | Saikat Guha Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Advisor | — | — | — | 2 internships · 1 award |
| 24 | Apeiron Labs Provider of solutions to lower carbon footprint | $5M | 10 mo ago | 7 | Ravi Pappu CEO | — | — | 4 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | — |
| 25 | Orb Aerospace Developer of e-VTOL aircrafts | $4M | 10 mo ago | 15 | — | Webflow EcommerceWebflowcore-js+12 | Top 50M | — | — |
| 26 | ProSensing Developer of systems and solutions for remote sensing applications | $4M | 190 mo ago | 11 | Andrew Pazmany Owner | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | Busek Manufacturer of electric propulsion systems | $4M | 27 mo ago | 58 | — | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+13 | Top 10M | 28 patents Electric spacecraft propulsion systems using iodine and condensable propellants, plus debris‑removal subsystems. | — |
| 28 | Tellus Labs Provider of a machine learning-based geospatial platform using satellite imagery to provide actionable… | $3M | 88 mo ago | 708 | — | — | — | 6 patents Recycling waste rubber via pyrolysis and pelletization into reusable rubber granules | — |
| 29 | SeaTrac Developer of a solar energy-based unmanned surface vehicle | $3M | 27 mo ago | 4 | Jigger Herman Co-Founder | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | GreenSight Agronomic Robotics, analytics, and automation solutions for golf, sports turf, agriculture, defense | $3M | 64 mo ago | 77 | — | WebflowAmazon Web ServicesHandlebars+17 | Top 10M | — | 2 launchs |
| 31 | PlotBox Offers cloud-based cemetery, crematory, and funeral software for centralized data management and streamlined… | $3M | 13 mo ago | 72 72 → 128 (+78%) | Leona McAllister Co-Founder | HubSpot CMS HubTwitch PlayerEnvoy+19 | Top 5M | — | 1 partnership |
| 32 | Scanifly Provider of a drone platform for solar system installations | $2M | 65 mo ago | 41 | Denis Kobozev Co-Founder & CTO | WordPressMySQLPHP+31 | Top 10M | 4 patents AI-powered solar site assessment and GIS-based photovoltaic suitability analysis | — |
| 33 | Aquabotix Underwater drone manufacturer revolutionizing exploration for cleaner, healthier oceans and waterways | $2M | 95 mo ago | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 34 | Zydro Manufacturer of unmanned surface and underwater vehicles for maritime operations | $2M | 2 mo ago | — | Chris Dalke Founder & CEO | — | — | — | 1 job opening |
| 35 | FreightFlows Provider of web-based predictive maritime analytics solutions for global trade | $2M | 51 mo ago | 5 | Matt Morgan Founder & CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | Sensar Marine Provider of remote boat monitoring systems | $2M | 71 mo ago | 10 10 → 12 (+20%) | Paal Kaperdal Founder & CTO | HubSpot CMS HubLeafletMapbox.js+31 | Top 10M | — | — |
| 37 | Gander Robotics Developer of autonomous underwater vehicles for maritime search and rescue | $1M | 2 mo ago | — | Lael Ayala Co-Founder & Founding Engineer | ReactReact RouterVercel+5 | Top 50M | — | — |
| 38 | Robotics 88 Platform provides autonomous drone solutions for wildland fire management | $925K | 34 mo ago | — | Erin Linebarger Co-Founder & CEO | — | — | 103 patents Automated food manufacturing and dispensing equipment, including flexible processing and modular pumps. | — |
| 39 | Ascent AeroSystems Coaxial vehicle configuration based drones | $600K | 81 mo ago | 24 24 → 38 (+58%) | Nathaniel Meringer Co-Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+29 | Top 5M | 24 patents Design and control of unmanned aerial vehicles, focusing on propulsion and flight systems. | — |
| 40 | USMAT A technology solutions provider offering electronics simulation, modeling, and design software for the… | $500K | 15 mo ago | — | Demetrios Papageorgiou Founder and CEO | — | — | — | 2 job openings |
| 41 | LocalData Cloud platform empowering data-driven decisions for cities and communities | $300K | 164 mo ago | — | Alicia Rouault ex-CEO & Founder | — | — | — | — |
| 42 | Aura Intelligent Systems Provider of radar imaging solution for drones and autonomous vehicles | $256K | 65 mo ago | 6 | Jungah Lee Founder & CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | Lunar Station Provider of lunar data refinement and visualization platform with insights package | $195K | 88 mo ago | — | Blair DeWitt CEO and Founder | — | — | — | — |
| 44 | Axiam Provider of computer-optimized engine core assembly processes for improved engine performance | $138K | 184 mo ago | — | Donald Lohin CEO & President | — | — | 21 patents Precision rotor stacking, balancing, and diameter measurement for gas turbine components | — |
| 45 | Cleo Robotics Specializing in safe, compact drones for GPS-denied and confined environments | $120K | 88 mo ago | 10 | Simon Czarnota Co-Founder & CTO | — | — | 17 patents Vertical ducted‑fan propulsion and control systems for multi‑mode UAVs | — |
| 46 | Airmada Maritime logistics and surverying services provider | $120K | 120 mo ago | 31 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 47 | Granular AI-powered geospatial intelligence for informed decisions with global reach | $100K | 62 mo ago | 14 | Siddharth Gupta Founder & CEO | Node.jsHeadless UITailwind CSS+13 | Top 50M | — | — |
Top 12 Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in Massachusetts
#1
Series A · Boston, Massachusetts · founded 2016 · 30 employees$15.5Mraised▾
Electric boating: Revolutionizing marine propulsion with sustainable, powerful systems. They design and build electric propulsion systems, partnering with hull manufacturers to deliver a better boating experience. Their systems improve every aspect of boating, from the all-electric outboard to supporting technology. They offer recreational boats like dual consoles, center consoles, and pontoons. They are revolutionizing marine propulsion to be more powerful, efficient, sustainable, and enjoyable. They are looking for passionate individuals to push the boundaries of electric propulsion and contribute to a cleaner marine industry. They offer electric outboards, electric motors, and electric propulsion technology. They are advancing electric propulsion technology to deliver boating experiences.
- Nov 2025Series A$15M
- Mar 2022Series A$15.5M
- Feb 2021Grant (prize money)$255.7K
- Jan 2021Grant (prize money)$50K
#2
Seed · Somerville, Massachusetts · founded 2024$5.4Mraised▾
Developer of quantum imaging technology designed to enhance visual capabilities in satellites and machines through AI-powered cameras.
- Mar 2026Seed—
- Jan 2026Seed$4.2M
- Dec 2025Seed$1.2M
#3
Series A · Newton, Massachusetts · founded 2018 · 37 employees$24Mraised▾
Provider of vessel monitoring and safety systems. It provides real-time fleet monitoring systems using visual and operational analytics for safety purposes. Its features include fleet management, cargo operations, visual analytics, finance and performance monitoring, and compliance management.
- Sep 2025Series A$16.5M
- Oct 2022Series A$24M
- Apr 2022Seed—
- Apr 2020Seed—
#4
Seed · Boston, Massachusetts · founded 2025$2Mraised▾
Manufacturer of unmanned surface and underwater vehicles for maritime operations. This business produces hardware and software systems designed for autonomous navigation and data collection in marine environments. The product line includes kits for surface vessels and tools for processing nautical charts. These systems facilitate remote sensing and observation tasks in oceanic domains.
- Mar 2026Seed$2M
#5
Series B · Somerville, Massachusetts · founded 2010 · 41 employees$61.7Mraised▾
Provider of wireless network infrastructure solutions. It provides wireless network infrastructure through an aerostat platform to telecom, renewable energy, and enterprise sectors. It offers SuperTower, an aerial platform with a flight control system that integrates high-gain antennas and a 5G multi-sector LTE base station. It also allows the incorporation of multiple radio systems for delivering internet connectivity. It also offers AI-driven automated dispatch and fight director.
- Dec 2024Series B$5.6M
- Jun 2023Series B$8.5M
- Jul 2022Series B$34.8M
- Oct 2018Series A$3.8M
#6
Series C · Boston, Massachusetts · founded 2014 · 23 employees$71.6Mraised▾
Developer of ion beam-based electric propulsion systems for satellites. It enables propulsion and attitude control for small satellites using an ionic liquid electrospray propulsion system. Its features include multi-mode compatibility, inertness, non-toxicity, MEMS-based manufacturing processes, and high resiliency.
- Sep 2024Series C$5.7M
- Jul 2021Series C$42M
- Feb 2020Series B$11M
- Oct 2018Series A$3M
#7
Seed · Cambridge, Massachusetts · founded 2025$1.1Mraised▾
Developer of autonomous underwater vehicles for maritime search and rescue. These vehicles are designed for rapid deployment in man-overboard scenarios. The autonomous rescue swimmer delivers a rescue system with an auto-inflating flotation device. It also includes a high-visibility flare and RF beacon to transmit location data.
- Apr 2026Seed$1.1M
#8
Series A · Boston, Massachusetts · founded 2020 · 45 employees$94.5Mraised▾
Developer of wing-in-ground technology-based electric sea gliders. Its passenger vehicles are a hybrid between an aircraft and a hydrofoil and use wing-in-ground-effect technology to travel at an altitude of a few metres above the surface of the water. It includes electric propulsion and long-distance travel.
- Jun 2024Series A—
- Mar 2024Series A—
- Jul 2023Series A$60.5M
- Mar 2023Series A—
#9
Series C · Cambridge, Massachusetts · founded 2015 · 64 employees$27.5Mraised▾
Provider of solar asset management platform using aerial and sensor data. The platform analyzes images to conduct root cause analysis and direct operations and maintenance efforts. The platform digitally reconstructs solar plants in a map-based interface enriched with data. Autonomous drones investigate site conditions and equipment, automating visual investigations. A mobile application allows technicians to access remediation context, even offline.
- Dec 2024Series C$35M
- Apr 2022Series B$22M
- Oct 2020Series A$100K
- Aug 2020Series A$5M
#10
Series A · Boston, Massachusetts · founded 2021$27Mraised▾
Provider of ultra-high precision aerial surveillance data. This data is acquired through real-time, low earth orbit technology, exceeding the capabilities of many military systems. The service offers clients industry-best real-time data for risk management and threat mitigation. This enables informed decision-making based on precise and timely information.
- Feb 2025Series A$27M
#11
Series A · Cambridge, Massachusetts · founded 2022 · 7 employees$5Mraised▾
Provider of solutions to lower carbon footprint. It provides solutions to lower the cost and carbon footprint of acquiring data from the upper ocean by orders of magnitude. It is focused on enabling the digital transformation of oceans through the development of technologies for ocean monitoring. It also provides solutions to quantify climate change and improve weather forecasting.
- Aug 2025Series A$9.5M
- Jun 2022Series A$5M
#12
Series A · Lowell, Massachusetts · founded 2017 · 15 employees$4.5Mraised▾
Developer of an electric aircraft designed to revolutionize the aviation sector. The company's aircraft is engineered with redundant propulsion and flight-critical systems, uses a combination of propulsion methods in order to provide efficient vertical and horizontal flight, and offers modular wings for each specific mission and application, enabling clients to ensure safety with maximum utility.
- Jul 2025Series A$4.5M
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
What Massachusetts researches in launch vehicles
MIT and UMass Lowell lead Massachusetts' moderately optimistic rocket propulsion and spacecraft design research, with recent output accelerating and advancement framing dominating over concern.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology20
- University of Massachusetts Lowell2
Common questions
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.