Amidon Heavy Industries is a venture-backed defense technology company based in El Segundo, California, focused on transforming America’s maritime capabilities through the development of advanced autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). The company aims to address modern maritime challenges by leveraging innovations in manufacturing, energy systems, and autonomy to deliver scalable, high-performance solutions tailored for naval operations. Amidon seeks to modernize subsea technology, filling critical innovation gaps left by legacy defense contractors, and is positioning itself as a leader in affordable, robust undersea robotics for security, logistics, and defense applications.
Leadership
Christopher Amidon – Founder. Christopher has a background in aerospace, defense, and fintech startups. Before founding Amidon Heavy Industries, he worked in business development at Mach Industries (a Sequoia-backed defense tech startup) and Piasecki Aircraft Corporation. He previously founded Lasso, a fintech company.
Will Stomber – Operations Lead. Will joined Amidon Heavy Industries in November 2024. He previously worked in venture capital at Insight Partners and CandyVC, and has experience in operations at Dirac, Inc. He is a Carroll Fellow from Georgetown University.
Core Technologies
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs): Amidon specializes in the design and manufacture of AUVs for naval and maritime applications. These vehicles integrate breakthroughs in autonomy, energy systems, and manufacturing to provide reliable, scalable solutions for underwater operations.
Integrated Sensor Systems: Their AUVs are equipped with advanced sensors such as sonar, IMUs, and depth sensors, supporting navigation, data collection, and real-time communication.
Software & Autonomy: Amidon develops proprietary software for remote control, telemetry, and data transfer, as well as autonomy features like path planning, navigation, and decision-making algorithms. Their systems support both simulated and real-world deployment and testing.
System Integration: The company emphasizes seamless integration of hardware and software, enabling robust performance in complex maritime environments.
Key Capabilities
Rapid development and deployment of affordable, high-performance AUVs for defense and security.
Advanced autonomy for underwater navigation and mission execution.
Scalable solutions tailored to the evolving needs of naval operations.
Integration with existing naval fleet logistics and security frameworks.
Cross-disciplinary engineering team skilled in hardware, software, and mechanical integration.
Investors
Giant Step – Participated in a funding round as of February 2025.
Amidon Heavy Industries is a privately held corporation, incorporated in Delaware and registered in California as of January 24, 2025.
The company is venture-backed; specific funding amounts and valuation details have not been publicly disclosed.
Notable Clients
While specific clients are not listed, Amidon Heavy Industries targets the U.S. Navy, allied defense organizations, and maritime security agencies as primary customers for its AUV technologies.
