El Segundo defense startup Splash Inc. is building autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) designed to defend critical maritime assets like oil rigs and shipping terminals. Founded in 2024 by CEO Ivan Avanesov and CTO Marcell Veszpremi, the seven-person Y Combinator W25 company aims to make traditional naval vessels obsolete by mass-manufacturing low-cost autonomous boats for national security.
In a video documenting a South Carolina test event hosted by Naval Atlantic and Silent Warrior teams, Splash Inc. showcased its Typhoon drone boats in action. The video, titled Racing helicopters with drone-boats - Splash Industries South Carolina test event., demonstrated collaborative autonomy swarming capabilities, machine vision models for collision avoidance in busy waterways, and direct-to-shore beach landings using jet drive powertrains for contested logistics scenarios. The vessels reached top speeds of 50 knots during the trials. Reporting by Axios also noted the company's participation at RIMPAC exercises.
To expand its autonomy capabilities, Splash Inc. is hiring a Robotics Software Engineer ($120,000–$200,000) in El Segundo, CA. The role involves advancing the autonomy stack for unmanned maritime systems, focusing on path planning, obstacle avoidance, and scaling collaborative autonomy on edge compute platforms.
Rapid Prototyping and Tactical Field Testing
The company's development process emphasizes rapid prototyping and frequent real-world validation. In a Y Combinator demo video titled Building (and sinking) drone-boats at Y Combinator - SPLASH mid-batch demo, Ivan Avanesov and Marcell Veszpremi detailed building a satellite-connected online control interface, integrating live radar displays, and mounting a 60-horsepower engine on a 150-kilogram vessel. After the early prototype sank during high-speed tests in bay waters and was recovered using side-scan sonar, the team built a second vessel featuring updated electronics and onboard Nvidia Jetson compute for autonomous navigation.
That hands-on hardware focus extends to current openings. A Mechanical Engineer (Mid-Senior Level) ($100,000–$160,000) in El Segundo will own hardware designs from initial concept through production, conducting prototyping and mechanical testing for marine environments.
To build out its software infrastructure, the company is hiring a Frontend Engineer (UI/UX) ($100,000–$160,000) to design web applications for Command & Control platforms using real-time telemetry and geospatial mapping tools. It is also seeking a Full Stack Software Engineer ($110,000–$160,000) to build command interfaces and cloud orchestration logic using Go, React, and connectRPC.
Leadership from Marine Robotics and Embedded Systems
Prior to co-founding Splash Inc., CEO Ivan Avanesov spent eight years in marine robotics research and founded Vosentech, growing it into a major supplier of mini smoke generators used by SpaceX, Apple, NASA, and Los Alamos. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
CTO Marcell Veszpremi holds a master's degree in autonomous systems from UCLA, where he worked at RoMeLa on Artemis, the RoboCup 2024 humanoid champion. He previously developed embedded software and battery management systems at enterprise security firm Verkada and conducted research at UCLA's Ozcan Research Lab.
To support ongoing vessel testing and operations, Splash Inc. is hiring a Maritime Logistics Specialist ($60,000–$110,000) in Inglewood, CA, to pilot and maintain boats during test missions, coordinate equipment transportation, and ensure USCG compliance. Candidates looking to join across other disciplines can apply through a General Application ($60,000–$120,000) in El Segundo.
Open Roles at Splash Inc.
| Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maritime Logistics Specialist | Inglewood, CA, US | Onsite | $60,000 - $110,000 |
| General Application | El Segundo, CA, US | Onsite | $60,000 - $120,000 |
| Frontend Engineer (UI/UX) | El Segundo, CA, US | Onsite | $100,000 - $160,000 |
| Mechanical Engineer (Mid-Senior Level) | El Segundo, CA, US | Onsite | $100,000 - $160,000 |
| Robotics Software Engineer | El Segundo, CA, US | Onsite | $120,000 - $200,000 |
| Full Stack Software Engineer | El Segundo, CA, US | Onsite | $110,000 - $160,000 |
