AndrenaM Raised $10 Million in 36 Hours to Bring AI to the Sonar Age

Defense technology is rarely associated with speed either in the water or on a cap table. But AndrenaM, a young startup building AI-powered sonar systems, has upended both. The company closed its $10 million seed round in just 36 hours, an unusually rapid timeline as investors see the need to upgrade undersea surveillance with modern tools. Led by First Round Capital and backed by Also Capital, Long Journey, Homebrew, Banter, 201, Wavefunction, and the Colorado School of Mines Venture Fund, the round gives the startup the resources to double its team, accelerate deployment, and build its own custom hardware. For a company that only began operations in 2024, the velocity is striking. AndrenaM was founded in Hawthorne, California, by Matej Cernosek and Alex Chu, who first met during th