Shawn Ryan Show
#205 Dino Mavrookas - Fmr. Navy SEAL (DEVGRU) / CEO of Saronic Technologies
02 Jun 2025
Dino Mavrookas is the Co-Founder and CEO of Saronic Technologies, a defense tech company pioneering AI-powered autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) to strengthen U.S. and allied naval capabilities. A former U.S. Navy SEAL with 11 years of service and eight combat tours, Mavrookas enlisted after 9/11 and gained firsthand insight into the importance of technological superiority in complex operational environments. He founded Saronic in 2022, and under his leadership, the company has raised over $850 million and reached a $4 billion valuation by early 2025—developing scalable, mission-driven ASVs for modern maritime defense. After his military service, he earned a BASC in Computer Engineering from Rutgers and an MBA from The Wharton School. He then transitioned to private equity, serving as a Senior Associate at Vista Equity Partners and Vice President at H.I.G. Capital, focusing on technology investments. A 2015 Pat Tillman Scholar, Mavrookas also serves on the board of the Navy SEAL Foundation and advocates for expanding opportunities for veterans in elite academic and professional programs. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://www.roka.com - USE CODE SRS https://uscca.com/srs https://www.aura.com/srs https://www.betterhelp.com/srs This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self. https://www.helixsleep.com/srs https://www.blackbuffalo.com https://www.meetfabric.com/shawn https://www.shawnlikesgold.com https://www.hillsdale.edu/srs https://www.paladinpower.com/srs https://www.patriotmobile.com/srs https://trueclassic.com/srs Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at trueclassic.com/srs! #trueclassicpod Dino Mavrookas Links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dino-mavrookas Saronic Technologies - https://www.saronic.com Navy SEAL Foundation - https://www.navysealfoundation.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Full Episode
Dino Mavrucus, welcome to the show, man. Thanks for having me. It is an honor to be here. Well, likewise, it's an honor to have you. I mean, you're former SEAL, reindustrializing the Navy's shipbuilding capacity. We were talking at breakfast, and I think it's really cool, man, what you're doing, and I'm just... It's fascinating. It's inspiring. I'm proud of you.
I mean, to see somebody come out of the SEAL teams and to do something as impactful as what you're doing for the United States and it sounds like maybe some of our allies. I mean, that's just, I mean, it's... Congratulations, man.
That's really cool to see. Thank you. I've been a huge fan of yours and the pod and seeing all the things that you're doing after the SEAL team is just as exciting. And, you know, it's an honor to just be here, be able to tell the story, be able to tell my story and then all the things we're doing at Seronic. So thank you.
Thank you for being here. But everybody starts off with an introduction here. So Dino Mavroukas, Navy SEAL veteran with 11 years of service, including eight combat tours. Leveraged your Wharton MBA and private equity experience at Vista Equity Partners to bridge your military grit with tech innovation, launching Seronic in 2022.
We're going to focus more on your work as Envision is co-founder and CEO of Ceronic Technologies, a company building autonomous surface vessels, ASVs, to restore US naval dominance. A leader in raising billions to scale Ceronic's mission with a $4 billion valuation and a new shipyard, Port Alpha, to tackle America's shipbuilding crisis and counter China's massive shipbuilding lead.
A voice in the defense tech revolution, warning that without scalable AI-driven solutions, the US risk losing its maritime edge. A patriot committed to the Navy SEAL Foundation, serving as a board director to support SEALs and their families, husband, father, and most importantly, a Christian. And like I said, re-industrializing the Navy shipbuilding capabilities.
And, you know, just to kick this off with a fact, I mean, we've talked a lot about China and their capabilities and how they're getting an edge on us in just about every capacity, power, AI, shipbuilding.
They're not messing around. They are investing heavily. The government's pouring billions and billions of dollars. If we think China's not on a wartime footing right now, we're sticking our heads in the sand.
Man, you know, it just sounds like they're gaining an edge in just about every important aspect of being a global superpower. And so I wanted to kick this off. In 1943, we built 18,000 ships. In 2023, we built eight and retired 12 for a negative four. And the U.S. accounts for only 0.1% of global shipbuilding, 0.1%. Crazy.
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