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. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoujZQZatbqy4KGcgjpVxQ/join Shawn Ryan Show Links SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/@ShawnRyanShow Sign up: https://shawnryanshow.com/pages/newsletter Support the Show: https://www.patreon.com/VigilanceElite Download Free Content: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lF-8_5jwRc5eAhzDkqqCOp-6yvd05vAw?usp=sharing Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-ryan-show/id1492492083 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5eodRZd3qR9VT1ip1wI7xQ?si=59f9d106e56a4509 Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnryanshow Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on X: https://twitter.com/ShawnRyanShow SRS Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4pqo9Uoh0WuUKxw0BmaK1yrg9Kd7E4lk #vigilanceelite #shawnryanshow Dino Mavrookas Links: LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dino-mavrookas Saronic Technologies - https://www.saronic.com Navy SEAL Foundation - https://www.navysealfoundation.org Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: ⁠https://www.roka.com⁠ - USE CODE SRS ⁠https://uscca.com/srs⁠ https://www.paladinpower.com/srs⁠ https://www.hillsdale.edu/srs⁠ https://www.shawnlikesgold.com⁠ ⁠https://www.meetfabric.com/shawn⁠ 00:00 Introduction & Welcome 01:10 Dino Mavrookas: Background & Achievements 02:26 Challenges in U.S. Naval Shipbuilding 04:24 Bureaucracy & Innovation in Defense 05:06 Navigating Government Acquisitions 13:35 Defense Tech Startups & Capital 16:45 Budgeting & Competition in Defense 22:08 Sponsorships & Lobbying in Defense 45:02 Dino’s Personal Story 01:01:16 Introduction to the Navy SEALs 01:09:24 BUD/S & Military Career 01:21:40 Deployment Experiences 01:38:13 Business School & Career Transition 01:41:48 Private Equity & Venture Capital 01:54:30 Competition, Self-Care & Purpose 02:02:55 Scaling a $4B Company 02:16:59 Autonomous Maritime Technology 02:54:34 Autonomous WaveRunners: Capabilities & Design 03:00:24 Deployment, Logistics & Combat Use 03:34:39 Cybersecurity & Ethics 03:50:42 Conclusion & Final Thoughts