Ghostfin
Expeditionary drone submarine, about 8.5 ft long and 425 lb, with a published 1,000 nmi range, 30-day endurance and up to 200 lb of modular payload (sensing, logistics or strike).
Prototype
Startup · United States
Albacore
HQ PhiladelphiaFounded 202511-50 employees
Philadelphia maker of long-range autonomous underwater vehicles (the Ghostfin drone submarine) built from commercial components for sensing, surveillance and strike missions.
Aug 27, 2026NewsAlbacore Secures US Navy Contract for Strike-Capable Subsea DronesThe Defense PostAug 27, 2026NewsNavy Buys Attack Drone Subs Built in a Philly Marble ShowroomDroneXLAug 25, 2026News (high significance)Military drone submarine manufacturer sets up shop in South PhillyWHYYOct 16, 2025NewsExclusive: YC-Backed Albacore Swims Into $6.5M Seed RoundTectonicJul 30, 2025CompanyLaunch YC: Albacore – Autonomous micro-submarinesY Combinator
- Aug 27, 2026NewsThe Defense PostAlbacore Secures US Navy Contract for Strike-Capable Subsea Drones
- Aug 27, 2026NewsDroneXLNavy Buys Attack Drone Subs Built in a Philly Marble Showroom
- Aug 25, 2026News (high significance)WHYYMilitary drone submarine manufacturer sets up shop in South Philly
- Oct 16, 2025NewsTectonicExclusive: YC-Backed Albacore Swims Into $6.5M Seed Round
- Jul 30, 2025CompanyY CombinatorLaunch YC: Albacore – Autonomous micro-submarines
Funding1 round · $6.5M
- Equity raised
- $6.5M
- Latest
- $6.5MSeed · Oct 16, 2025
| Announced | Stage | Amount | Valuation | Lead investors | Other investors | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2025 | Seed | $6.5M | — | Outlander VC | 468 Capital, Alumni Ventures, BoxGroup, Brave Capital, D3, Heliad, Karman Ventures, Pioneer Fund, R-G.AI, RSquared VC, UA1 | Reported |
- SeedLed by Outlander VCWith 468 Capital, Alumni Ventures, BoxGroup, Brave Capital, D3, Heliad, Karman Ventures, Pioneer Fund, R-G.AI, RSquared VC, UA1$6.5MOct 16, 2025
Raised counts equity rounds; debt, secondary sales and grants are totaled separately. Amounts in other currencies are converted at the announcement month's average rate. A ~ marks an estimated or converted amount.
Systems1
Newest unveiled first. Open a system for its milestone timeline, components and sources.
Capabilities5
| Technology | Role | Maturity | TRL | Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISR and targeting | Developer | — | — | classify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Builds long-range autonomous underwater drone submarines for sensing, surveillance and strike missions. | Reported |
| Long-range attritable UUVs | Developer | Prototype | — | Ghostfin; Navy contract reported Aug 2026, value undisclosed. | Reported |
| Strike and munitions | Developer | — | — | classify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Builds long-range autonomous underwater drone submarines for sensing, surveillance and strike missions. | Reported |
| Uncrewed systems | Developer | — | — | classify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Builds long-range autonomous underwater drone submarines for sensing, surveillance and strike missions. | Reported |
| UUV energy storage | Developer | Development | — | Company claim; no independent test data found. | Speculative |
- Developerclassify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Builds long-range autonomous underwater drone submarines for sensing, surveillance and strike missions.—Reported
- DeveloperGhostfin; Navy contract reported Aug 2026, value undisclosed.PrototypeReported
- Developerclassify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Builds long-range autonomous underwater drone submarines for sensing, surveillance and strike missions.—Reported
- Developerclassify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Builds long-range autonomous underwater drone submarines for sensing, surveillance and strike missions.—Reported
Maturity and TRL describe this organization's work; the field-wide maturity is on each technology's page.
Supply Chain1 facility
Facilities1
| Facility | Kind | Location | Status | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albacore Washington Avenue facility | Factory | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Operating · 2026 | Reported |
- Albacore Washington Avenue facilityFactory · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United StatesOperating · 2026Reported
People2
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Dante Vaisbort · LinkedIn ↗ | Co-founder |
| John Huddleston · LinkedIn ↗ | Co-founder |
Company Metrics
Employee-profile counts reflect LinkedIn profiles associated with the company, not verified headcount. One observation establishes a baseline; it does not establish growth.
Sources7
Profile2
- 1
Albacore · Supports Organization · name
“Albacore - Undersea Dominance at Scale”
- 2OtherBlack Flag 100.2
Black Flag · Supports Organization
“Albacore builds mass-producible, long-range autonomous underwater vehicles for military use, assembled from commercial components for rapid deployment.”
Systems2
- 3
The Defense Post · Aug 27, 2026 · Supports System
“It measures 102 inches (259 centimeters) long, weighs 425 pounds (193 kilograms), and has a diameter of 13 inches (33 centimeters).”
- 4
Albacore Inc. · Supports Organization, System
“Albacore Inc. builds mass-producible long-range drone submarines.”
Technologies2
- 5
WHYY · Aug 25, 2026 · Supports Facility, Organization · employee range, Organization · founded year, Organization technology, Role
“Four months ago, Albacore moved into the 20,000-square-foot marble and granite showroom building on Washington Avenue.”
- 6
Tectonic · Oct 16, 2025 · Supports Funding round · amount, Funding round · investors, Organization technology, Role
“announced it has raised a $6.5M seed round led by Outlander VC with participation from Brave Capital, D3, Alumni Ventures, and a whole bunch more.”
Other1
- 7DatabaseAlbacore — linkedin profile
Linkedin via Bright Data · Supports Organization · logo, Organization metric · employees in linkedin, Organization metric · followers
“{"logo": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E0BAQFbWThWXwKu5Q/company-logo_200_200/B4EZ3pxYTJGkAI-/0/1777743529648/albacore_inc_logo?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=AepqfOujVmWg1LlJOyS8QS2K3XzOdenGaV5Yy2LCEls"}”
Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.