Saronic

Modernizing Naval Defense Through Autonomous Vessels

Investment Thesis

The Opportunity

Modern naval forces need to cover vast areas while managing limited personnel, high costs and increasingly complex threats.

The Solution

Autonomous vessels can extend what a fleet can see and do without requiring another crewed ship or putting sailors into every dangerous environment.

Why We Invested

  • Proven in the Field:

    A Saronic vessel autonomously rescued two U.S. Army helicopter crewmembers in the Strait of Hormuz, demonstrating its ability to operate in high-risk environments.1

  • Built to Scale:

    Saronic's manufacturing approach is designed to produce more than 2,000 Corsairs annually, supporting the Navy's transition toward larger autonomous fleets.2

  • Designed for Efficiency:

    Saronic vessels can reduce the personnel and infrastructure required to operate a traditional ship by up to 90%, while allowing one operator to manage multiple vessels.3

Market Opportunity

The U.S. Navy is moving toward a hybrid fleet that combines traditional ships with autonomous vessels. Over the next 15–30 years, the Navy expects to deploy thousands of small and medium unmanned vessels globally, expanding its reach while freeing sailors and crewed ships for higher-priority missions.4

Company Overview

After serving as a Navy SEAL, Saronic CEO and co-founder Dino Mavrookas returned to defense with a mission to build technology that helps keep people safe. Seeing maritime innovation lag behind other areas of defense, he co-founded Saronic in 2022 to help modernize America's naval capabilities.3

Milestones

  • June 2026

    Corsair was used to rescue two crewmembers of a downed Apache helicopter in a first-of-a-kind operation5

  • March 2026

    Raised $1.75B Series D at a $9.25B valuation, more than doubling its valuation in 16 months6

  • December 2025

    Awarded a $392M U.S. Navy production contract for Corsair autonomous vessels7

Accessing the Opportunity

Many defense companies have the potential to generate significant value while remaining private. The Private Shares Fund gives RIAs and their clients exposure to late-stage private market companies with daily NAV pricing and no accreditation requirements.

Saronic News

This Month In Venture July - August 2026

The Private Shares Fund, September 3, 2026

This Month in Venture - June 2026

The Private Shares Fund, July 9, 2026

Defense Technology: From Prototype to Production

The Private Shares Fund, May 27, 2026
Sources

1 Saronic, “Corsair Rescues Downed Pilots in the Strait of Hormuz,” accessed September 2026; Reuters, “US Sea Drone Rescues Crew from US Army Helicopter that Crashed Near Hormuz,” June 9, 2026.

2 McKinsey & Company, “Dino Mavrookas on Shipbuilding’s Autonomous Future,” 2026; U.S. Department of the Navy, “Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels,” May 2026

3 McKinsey & Company, “Dino Mavrookas on Shipbuilding’s Autonomous Future,” March 4, 2026; Saronic, “Echelon,” accessed September 2026.

4 U.S. Department of the Navy, “U.S. Navy Shipbuilding Plan,” May 2026

5 NY Post, “US Navy uses cutting-edge new drone boat to rescue Apache pilots who crashed near Strait of Hormuz”, June 2026

6 Saronic, “Saronic Closes $1.75B Series D at $9.25B Valuation to Accelerate a New Era of Maritime Autonomy,” March 31, 2026 ; Saronic, “Saronic Raises $600M Series C to Take on Autonomous Shipbuilding,” February 18, 2025

7 WorkBoat, “Saronic Awarded $392 Million Navy Contract,” December 8, 2025

Private Shares Fund Top 10 Holdings  
As of 09/30/2026*

*Represents 53.13% of Fund holdings as of September 30, 2026. Holdings are subject to change. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any particular security. Current and future holdings are subject to risk. To view the Fund’s complete holdings, visit privatesharesfund.com/portfolio.

Important Disclosure

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus with this and other information about The Private Shares Fund (the "Fund"), please download here, or call 1-855-551-5510. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.

The investment minimums are $2,500 for the Class A Share and Class L Share, and $1,000,000 for the Institutional Share

Investment in the Fund involves substantial risk. The Fund is not suitable for investors who cannot bear the risk of loss of all or part of their investment. The Fund is appropriate only for investors who can tolerate a high degree of risk and do not require a liquid investment. The Fund has no history of public trading and investors should not expect to sell shares other than through the Fund's repurchase policy regardless of how the Fund performs. The Fund does not intend to list its shares on any exchange and does not expect a secondary market to develop.

All investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal. Shares in the Fund are highly illiquid, and can be sold by shareholders only in the quarterly repurchase program of the Fund which allows for up to 5% of the Fund's outstanding shares at NAV to be redeemed each quarter. Due to transfer restrictions and the illiquid nature of the Fund's investments, you may not be able to sell your shares when, or in the amount that, you desire. The Fund intends to primarily invest in securities of private, late-stage, venture-backed growth companies. There are significant potential risks relating to investing in such securities. Because most of the securities in which the Fund invests are not publicly traded, the Fund's investments will be valued by Liberty Street Advisors, Inc. (the "Investment Adviser") pursuant to fair valuation procedures and methodologies adopted by the Board of Trustees. While the Fund and the Investment Adviser will use good faith efforts to determine the fair value of the Fund's securities, value will be based on the parameters set forth by the prospectus. As a consequence, the value of the securities, and therefore the Fund's Net Asset Value (NAV), may vary.

There are significant potential risks associated with investing in venture capital and private equity-­backed companies with complex capital structures. The Fund focuses its investments in a limited number of securities, which could subject it to greater risk than that of a larger, more varied portfolio. There is a greater focus in technology securities that could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. The Fund's quarterly repurchase policy may require the Fund to liquidate portfolio holdings earlier than the Investment Adviser would otherwise do so and may also result in an increase in the Fund's expense ratio. Portfolio holdings of private companies that become publicly traded likely will be subject to more volatile market fluctuations than when private, and the Fund may not be able to sell shares at favorable prices, such companies frequently impose lock-ups that would prohibit the Fund from selling shares for a period of time after an initial public offering (IPO). Market prices of public securities held by the Fund may decline substantially before the Investment Adviser is able to sell the securities.

The Fund may invest in private securities utilizing special purpose vehicles ("SPV"s), private investment funds (“Private Funds”), private investments in public equity ("PIPE") transactions where the issuer is a special purpose acquisition company ("SPAC"), and profit sharing agreements. The Fund will bear its pro-rata portion of expenses on investments in SPVs, Private Funds, or similar investment structures and will have no direct claim against underlying portfolio companies. PIPE transactions involve price risk, market risk, expense risk, and the Fund may not be able to sell the securities due to lock-ups or restrictions. Profit sharing agreements may expose the Fund to certain risks, including that the agreements could reduce the gain the Fund otherwise would have achieved on its investment, may be difficult to value and may result in contractual disputes. Certain conflicts of interest involving the Fund and its affiliates could impact the Fund’s investment returns and limit the flexibility of its investment policies. This is not a complete enumeration of the Fund's risks. Please read the Fund prospectus for other risk factors related to the Fund.

The Fund may not be suitable for all investors. Investors are encouraged to consult with appropriate financial professionals before considering an investment in the Fund.

Companies that may be referenced on this website are privately-held companies. Shares of these privately-held companies do not trade on any national securities exchange, and there is no guarantee that the shares of these companies will ever be traded on any national securities exchange.

The Private Shares Fund is distributed by FORESIDE FUND SERVICES, LLC

Last updated: October 2026

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