E41 – Firestorm

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Mike and Jake host Dan Magy, co-founder and CEO of Firestorm.

Firestorm’s mission is to democratize the air by re-imaging the way drones are built.

They developed a method to 3D-print modular drones at the point of need, using a combination of shipping-container-based factories and localized supply chains. Best of all, the drones themselves are modular—from props to jets, AI to sensors, etc.

The conversation went deep into “the why”: how Ukraine led to Firestorm, the real-time changing of the guard on how the Air Force thinks about building a credible force in light of all this, the exciting concept of attritable mass, rapidly innovating via crash-and-learn, and some history to boot.

This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #ukraine #drone #drones #battlefield #warfare

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• Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)

• Jake Chapman X (@vc)

• Dan Magy (LinkedIn)

• Firestorm website

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Show Notes

01:00 intro

01:28 counter-UAS startup

01:59 Ukraine starts Firestorm

03:43 the future is RF-denied

04:43:05 Firestorm name origin

05:22 competing in a crowded drone market

06:39 air superiority in the future

06:49 rapid iteration

07:09 Dan’s LinkedIn

08:16 adversaries are sharing tech and tactics

08:51 battle lab of the world

09:36 the pace of evolution - on LinkedIn

10:22 2-week evolution cycles

12:35 drones as physical decoys

13:28 cardboard drones must be honored

14:02 thermite dropping drones

14:32 keeping pace with battlefield innovation

16:00 Investors growing weary?

17:44 high-low mix

19:43 jet-powered drone

20:17 modular propulsion

20:58 autonomy differentiator

21:52 solving for non-recurring engineering

23:23 product iteration

24:08 crash and learn

25:47 failing fast - cost-effectiveness

26:48 VC investing

28:05 attritable mass

28:15 Ukraine's drone capacity

29:59 expeditionary manufacturing

31:15 localizing supply chains

33:47 attrition, reconstitution, and risk

36:25 attrition and operations

38:19 changing of the guard moment

39:50 personal risk?