20 February 2026 | News
Nauticus Robotics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KITT) ("Nauticus" or the "Company"), a pioneer in autonomous subsea robotics and AI-driven offshore solutions, today announced a series of strategic leadership appointments and commercialization initiatives designed to accelerate product growth, expand manufacturing capacity, and position the Company for its next phase of scale.
These announcements follow the recently disclosed commitment from Master Investment Group to support the building of additional Aquanaut® vehicles, strengthening Nauticus' manufacturing capabilities and enabling increased deployment across commercial energy and defense markets.
Silicon Valley Autonomy Leader Joins Nauticus
Nauticus has appointed Dr. Kjerstin "Kj" Easton as Vice President of Software.
Dr. Easton brings more than a decade of software development leadership from several notable Silicon Valley stalwarts. At X, The Moonshot Factory (formerly Google X), she led marine-focused AI and autonomy teams at Tidal developing real-world robotic systems. She previously led robotic perception at X's Everyday Robots and held senior engineering roles at Google Geo and Apple Maps Special Projects. Most recently, she led the engineering organization that launched a new site monitoring product while employed at Vantor (formerly Maxar Technologies).
Dr. Easton's expertise in artificial intelligence, perception systems, sensor fusion, and autonomous navigation significantly strengthens Nauticus' ability to scale its autonomy software platform, Nauticus ToolKITT™.
She holds a Ph.D. in Robotics from Caltech.
"Bringing Dr. Easton to Nauticus is a transformative milestone," said John Gibson, President and CEO. "We are entering a period of acceleration in both software deployment and product commercialization. Her leadership will help us move faster, integrate smarter, and execute at scale."
Dr. Easton added, "Nauticus has built a compelling autonomy platform capable of transforming subsea operations. I look forward to leading the continued development and rapid scaling of Nauticus ToolKITT to accelerate revenue growth, expand the adoption of subsea autonomy, and broaden Nauticus' impact across global markets.
Strengthening the Software Architecture for Networked Robotics
Nauticus also announced that Chuck Claunch has been named Chief Software Architect & Principal Software Engineer.
Mr. Claunch brings deep experience across multiple robotic platforms and autonomy architectures. As the robotics industry moves toward interoperable, mission-oriented robotic ecosystems, his expertise in networked robotics will support integration of Nauticus systems into broader defense and commercial robotic mosaics.
This strengthens Nauticus' position in emerging multi-robot mission environments – a key trend across both energy and defense sectors.
New Vice President of Growth & Go-To-Market to Drive Revenue Expansion
Jason Close has transitioned into the newly created role of Vice President of Growth & Go-To-Market.
In this role, Mr. Close will lead global go-to-market execution, product sales, and revenue growth initiatives across Nauticus ToolKITT, Aquanaut, subsea manipulators, and robotic systems.
His mandate includes:
"Nauticus is entering its commercialization phase," said Mr. Gibson. "Jason's leadership ensures our market presence, product messaging, and sales execution match the scale of our technology ambition."
Mr. Close commented, "We have a differentiated autonomy platform and vehicle portfolio. My focus is translating that capability into accelerated product adoption, stronger strategic partnerships, and measurable revenue growth."
Continued Offshore Revenue Execution
Vice President of Sales, Steve Walsh, will continue leading offshore service sales operations utilizing Nauticus' robotic platforms, maintaining active deployments and supporting near-term revenue generation while the Company expands its product-centric strategy.
Aquanaut Manufacturing Expansion Backed by Master Investment Group
The recently announced commitment by Master Investment Group to support the building of additional Aquanaut vehicles reinforces Nauticus' ability to scale production and meet growing demand.
With enhanced software leadership, strengthened architecture, expanded manufacturing backing, and a sharpened commercial focus, Nauticus is aligning its organization around:
