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Washington’s Hammer
Techstars '23Elizabeth City, US · Founded 2020 · 2 employees on LinkedIn · 2 known investors
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Washington's Hammer provides ship repair services for commercial and government maritime customers, specializing in steel and aluminum overhaul, precision fabrication, and habitability repairs.
Also known as Washington's Hammer
Investors · 2
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Washington's Hammer is a maintenance provider for the maritime industrial base, delivering ship repair services that include steel and aluminum overhaul, precision fabrication, and habitability repairs. The company positions itself as supporting both public and private ship repair activities, offering skilled trade support, project execution, and structural and mechanical maintenance solutions for naval and commercial customers.
Alongside its services work, the company has developed Keelblok, a maritime collaboration platform aimed at streamlining naval ship repair by making it easier for mechanics to make decisions, track progress, and communicate updates. Keelblok was commissioned for beta testing on a naval aircraft carrier in 2023.
Founding story
Washington's Hammer was co-founded by Valeni "V" Felton and his wife Chana Ruiz-Felton. Felton conceived the company while earning a master's of education in training and development at NC State University, and the couple launched the venture shortly after completing the National Science Foundation's I-Corps customer-discovery and market-research training program, which is managed at NC State by the Office of Research Commercialization.
Business model
The company sells ship repair and maintenance services — skilled trade support, project execution, and structural and mechanical maintenance — to public and private ship repair activities, and is also commercializing the Keelblok software platform.
Traction
Keelblok was commissioned for beta testing on a naval aircraft carrier in 2023.
Latest developments
In January 2024, NC State's Office of Research Commercialization published a profile of the company and its Keelblok platform.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, history
Market position
Positioned as a mission-focused maintenance provider to the U.S. maritime industrial base, combining trade labor services with a software product aimed at reducing time required to return Navy ships to sea.
Technology
Keelblok is a maritime collaboration software platform designed to streamline naval ship repair, supporting mechanics in decision-making, progress tracking, and communication of updates. Service delivery is described as relying on skilled craftsmanship, modern equipment, and a trained workforce.
Go-to-market
Commercial and government maritime customers, including naval ship repair activities and private shipyards across the maritime industrial base.
History
The husband-and-wife founding team launched the company in 2021 following participation in the NSF I-Corps program at NC State. By 2023 its Keelblok software had been commissioned for beta testing aboard a naval aircraft carrier, and in January 2024 NC State's Office of Research Commercialization profiled the company as a ship repair startup moving toward market.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsThe company's software product Keelblok, intended to streamline naval ship repair by helping mechanics make decisions, track progress and communicate updates, was commissioned for beta testing aboard a naval aircraft carrier.
Valeni Felton and Chana Ruiz-Felton launched Washington's Hammer shortly after completing the National Science Foundation I-Corps program managed by NC State's Office of Research Commercialization.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Washington’s Hammerwashingtonshammer.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Washington’s Hammer do?
- Ship repair provider serving naval and commercial customers, with a maritime collaboration software product called Keelblok.
- Who are Washington’s Hammer's investors?
- Washington’s Hammer's investors include NC IDEA, Techstars.
- Where is Washington’s Hammer headquartered?
- Washington’s Hammer is headquartered in Elizabeth City, US.