CEO and Co-Founder of Picogrid, Zane Mountcastle is a key member of the emerging El Segundo defense tech scene. Him and Dan discuss the tough questions facing founders today. 

Find Zane and Picogrid online:

www.picogrid.com

https://x.com/picogrid

https://www.linkedin.com/company/picogrid/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zanemountcastle/

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy continues his conversation with Brett Kanda, Director of DFR Sales at Flock Safety. In Part II, Brett offers his expert predictions on the future of the drone industry, the emerging threat of nefarious drone use, and what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur in deep tech.

Brett shares his candid thoughts on the drone industry's biggest surprises, from the saturation of the consumer market to the game-changing use of FPV drones in Ukraine. He explains why the next decade will be the "golden years" for the industry, driven by a changing global supply chain, new FAA regulations, and the relentless advance of automation.

Join us as Brett provides invaluable advice for the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs, drawing on lessons from his unique career as a top-ranked amateur golfer and a drone industry pioneer.

Learn why being good at losing is a critical skill, why you should be "absolutely relentless," and how the industry is shifting from manual control to a future of seamless, automated operations.

LinkedIn: ( www.linkedin.com/in/brett-kanda-78168583/ )
Flock Safety Website: www.flocksafety.com

www.launchfirestorm.com/

Timestamps:
01:24 - The Biggest Surprise in a Decade of Drones
01:50 - Why the DJI Monopoly Is Over
02:56 - Welcome to Drone War 1: Lessons from Ukraine
03:55 - The Threat of Nefarious Drones
07:43 - Why the Next 10 Years are the Golden Years for Drones
09:12 - When Drones Become Boring: The Future of Automation
12:15 - The One Thing I Share with Tiger Woods
13:50 - The #1 Piece of Advice for My Younger Self
15:05 - Why Entrepreneurs Need to Be Good at Losing
17:31 - How to Get Hired in the Drone Industry
19:50 - Where to Find and Follow Brett Kanda
20:02 - Outro

#DroneWars #PublicSafety #DFR #FlockSafety #BrettKanda #CounterUAS #DroneIndustry #UAS #FutureOfWarfare #Entrepreneurship #CareerAdvice #VentureCapital

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy sits down with Brett Kanda, Director of DFR Sales at Flock Safety. Brett pulls back the curtain on the revolutionary "Drone as a First Responder" (DFR) program, explaining how automated drones are transforming law enforcement and public safety.

Brett shares his unique journey from being one of the original pioneers in the drone industry back in 2012 to leading the charge in deploying DFR systems across the country. He reveals critical lessons learned from the early days of strapping GoPros to Phantom drones, working with the FAA, and scaling drone operations for public safety.

Join us as we explore the massive technological shifts that are enabling police departments to respond to emergencies in under 90 seconds, clear a significant percentage of calls without dispatching an officer, and enhance transparency with their communities. Brett explains how this technology is no longer a futuristic fantasy but a practical solution being implemented today.

LinkedIn: ( www.linkedin.com/in/brett-kanda-78168583/ )
Flock Safety Website: www.flocksafety.com

www.launchfirestorm.com/

Timestamps:
00:00 - The Future of Law Enforcement
01:10 - Introducing Brett Kanda, Head of Aviation at Flock Safety
01:43 - A Friendship Forged in Diapers
02:40 - The "Wild West" of the Early Drone Industry
03:30 - From Golf Courses to Crime Fighting: The Evolution of a Drone Business
04:15 - Learning the Ropes: From Film School to FAA Test Sites
06:30 - Inside Look at a Global Drone Industry Leader
08:00 - The Tragic Inspiration Behind a Public Safety Drone Company
11:26 - What is "Drone as a First Responder" (DFR)?
12:27 - Why Every Police Chief Wants DFR
13:13 - The Surprising Stat: Clearing 25% of Calls with Drones
18:01 - Gaining Community Trust for Police Drones
19:15 - Is DFR Working? The 86-Second Response Time
21:00 - DFR 1.0 vs 2.0: Removing the Human from the Rooftop
22:48 - The Future is Now: What DFR 3.0 Looks Like
24:00 - How Drones Are Ending High-Speed Chases
26:22 - My Prediction for the Drone Industry in the Next Decade
26:55 - Outro

#DroneWars #PublicSafety #DFR #FlockSafety #BrettKanda #PoliceDrone #LawEnforcement #Robotics #AutonomousSystems #UAS #Drones #FirstResponders #Podcast #AI #FutureOfPolicing

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy sits down with Aaron Jacobson, Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and the lead investor in Firestorm's Series A. Aaron pulls back the curtain on what top-tier venture capitalists look for when investing in the future of robotics, autonomy, and defense technology.

Aaron shares his unique journey from a young gamer obsessed with StarCraft and EverQuest to a leading investor shaping the future of deep tech. He reveals the critical lessons he learned from working on a DARPA-funded robotics project and why he believes the most effective solutions are often the simplest.

Join us as we explore the massive geopolitical and technological shifts that are forcing the U.S. and its allies to rethink military strategy, and why Aaron believes the "Zergling rush" — overwhelming an adversary with mass-produced, low-cost, attritable systems — is no longer a video game fantasy, but a strategic imperative.

Twitter: @aaronej
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronejacobson/)
NEA Website: www.nea.com

www.launchfirestorm.com/

Timestamps:
00:00 - The Biggest Mistake in Robotics
00:26 - Introducing Aaron Jacobson, Lead Investor from NEA
01:05 - From Gamer to Tech Geek to Venture Capitalist
02:07 - The DARPA Robot That Changed Everything
02:51 - Why I Joined NEA: The Dream Job for a Tech Futurist
04:06 - What is NEA? A Venture Firm Built for Generational Companies
05:39 - The Most Important Question: What Were Your Favorite Video Games?
06:18 - How StarCraft Explains the Future of Warfare
07:29 - The "Zergling Rush" Strategy for Modern Defense
08:17 - Where Do Autonomous Systems Fit in Today's World?
09:55 - How Robots Will Reshape Global Industries
10:07 - My Controversial Take: Humanoid Robots Are a Mistake
11:38 - How a VC Picks a Winner in a 10-Year Arms Race
14:34 - The Investment Thesis for Defense-First Technology
15:23 - Why Now? The Geopolitical Shift Forcing Innovation
19:10 - The #1 Thing I Wish I Knew When I Started in Venture Capital
20:40 - My Prediction for Autonomous Systems in the Next Decade
23:20 - Why We Chose to Invest in Firestorm
25:48 - Where to Find and Follow Aaron Jacobson
26:11 - Outro

#DroneWars #DefenseTech #VentureCapital #NEA #AaronJacobson #Firestorm #MilitaryTechnology #Robotics #AutonomousSystems #UAS #Drones #Investing #Podcast #StarCraft #AI #FutureOfWarfare

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

In Part II of our interview with Sam Bendett, Dan Magy continues the deep dive into how unmanned systems are transforming modern warfare—this time, focusing on the maritime domain. 

Sam explores how commercial tech is enabling smaller nations to rival traditional naval powers, why large legacy systems like aircraft carriers may soon be vulnerable, and how even civilian cargo ships could be weaponized through modular drone-launch systems. They also discuss the implications of proxy conflict, containerized drones, and how global shipping may be the next front in the drone war era.

Timestamps:
01:04 – Maritime drones go global: Taiwan, Turkey, Saronic
03:00 – Aircraft carriers vs. $200K boats: The power shift
05:30 – Ghost fleets: Modular, hidden, and fast
08:00 – When navies finally adapt: The “incident” theory
10:15 – Iran & China’s DIY drone carriers
13:30 – Civilian ships as drone platforms: The ethical gray zone
16:00 – Global shipping under threat: Red Sea to piracy-proof tankers
19:00 – Defense primes for commercial fleets?
20:30 – Proxy war, satellite intel, and global coordination

Twitter/X: @SamBendett
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-bendett-06996018/)

#DroneWarfare #UkraineWar #RussiaMilitary #FPVdrones #UnmannedSystems #SamBendett #Firestorm #DronePodcast #ElectronicWarfare #MilitaryTech #DefenseTech #UGV #USV #NATO #DroneTactics #DroneSwarm

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

Today, Dan Magy welcomes back Sam Bendett, open-source intelligence expert and senior fellow at CNA, for a hard-hitting breakdown of how drone warfare is evolving at breakneck speed. 

Sam explains how Ukrainian innovation and Russian industrial adaptation are reshaping military doctrine, what happens when thousands of drones are unleashed in a single night, and how the rise of unmanned systems is exposing weaknesses in NATO’s readiness. 

From North Korean pilots learning drone tactics to France's nuclear umbrella, no geopolitical thread is left untouched.

Timestamps:
01:30 – Russian assault tactics using forward-launched FPV drones
04:20 – Drone knowledge proliferation and global risk (cartels, terrorists)
06:00 – Ukraine’s evolving defenses and Russia’s drone manufacturing scale
07:40 – 500-drone salvos: Russia’s strategic plan to overwhelm defenses
09:00 – NATO’s vulnerability and unpreparedness for high-scale drone warfare
10:40 – Ukraine’s air defense strategy and Russia’s increasing volume
12:10 – Poland’s high-tech border wall and broader European response
13:15 – France offers nuclear umbrella amid U.S. NATO uncertainty
14:45 – Why unmanned systems can’t fully replace manned operations

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

In the second half of this Drone Wars conversation, Dan Magy continues with Brett Harrison and Shaun Moore to dig into what sets Turn AI apart from defense incumbents and Silicon Valley hopefuls alike. This episode shifts focus from tech specs to team dynamics, culture, and strategic edge—how a fast, focused startup can outmaneuver giants.

They explore what it takes to build critical infrastructure from scratch, what it means when Big Tech starts referencing your patents, and why passion, speed, and real-world experience can’t be bought. If Part I showed the problem, Part II shows the path forward.

Whether you're scaling a defense startup or trying to understand what makes disruption in this space real, this one delivers hard-earned insight with operator clarity.

Timestamps:
00:00 – GPS Dependency and Over-Reliance
00:58 – Real-World Experience vs. Big Companies
03:25 – Company Culture and Decision-Making
06:12 – Customer Response and Passion
06:41 – Global Market and Security Concerns
11:53 – Impact on Logistics and Society
14:12 – Lessons Learned and Future Plans
15:02 – Critical Infrastructure and Public Education
18:55 – Final Thoughts and Contact Information

#DroneWarsPodcast #TernAI #GPSAlternative #MilitaryTech #AutonomousVehicles #AIInnovation #DefenseTech #SignalResilience #StartupCulture #CriticalInfrastructure

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

In this episode of Drone Wars, Dan Magy is joined by Brett Harrison and Shaun Moore, co-founders of Tern AI, for a deep dive into one of the biggest hidden vulnerabilities in modern life—our overdependence on GPS. Drawing from elite military operations and hard-earned lessons in AI innovation, they lay out why signal-based navigation is no longer reliable—and what it means for warfighters, civilians, and the future of autonomy.

They unpack how GPS failures are already affecting real-world operations, from lost Uber drivers to compromised military missions, and explain why most "solutions" are just different flavors of the same fragile system. If you're working in autonomy, logistics, or national security, this episode is a critical look at the next battlefield: positioning.

Whether you're a founder, policymaker, or defense insider, this one is full of real-world urgency and sharp technical insight.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction and Background of Participants
01:50 – GPS in Modern Tech and Why It’s Failing
04:30 – Brett’s Journey: From Special Ops to Real Estate to Defense Tech
07:30 – Sean’s Start in Facial Recognition and Startup Lessons
13:20 – The Shot That Started Tern AI
17:59 – Why GPS Dependency is a National Risk
18:15 – Building Positioning Without Signal
18:31 – Military and Commercial Applications
20:38 – Future Plans: Scaling Across Vehicles, Terrain, and Use Cases

#DroneWarsPodcast #TernAI #GPSAlternative #MilitaryTech #AutonomousVehicles #AIInnovation #DefenseTech #SignalResilience #StartupCulture #CriticalInfrastructure

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

In Part II of this candid Drone Wars conversation, Dan Magy is joined once again by James Cross and Chris Donaghey to dig into one of the most pressing problems in modern warfare: how to scale effective defense technologies fast enough to matter.

From next-gen laser systems to why small companies rarely survive the primes, this episode explores the gritty realities behind mission kills, demo culture, and why venture-backed defense tech often loses despite superior capabilities. The discussion also unpacks the economics of defense investing, the limitations of VC, and how to build a layered counter-drone strategy that works.

A must-listen for anyone at the intersection of autonomy, emerging tech, and national security.

Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro Recap: Cockroaches, Lasers, and Global Threats
1:22 – There’s No Silver Bullet
2:30 – Mission Kill vs. System Kill
4:05 – From Garage Opener to Battlefield Laser
6:15 – Are Our Adversaries Building This Too?
7:45 – Scaling Up: From Demos to Deployment
9:00 – Why the Primes Wait to Buy
10:30 – Defense Tech’s Generational Divide
12:19 – The Most Exclusive Club on Wall Street
15:35 – The Primes’ VC Playbook
19:20 – Why Strategic Capital Matters
23:46 – What’s Next? Robots, Autonomy, and Moore’s Law on the Battlefield
25:06 – Lessons from the MRAP Era

#DroneWars #DefenseTech #MilitaryInnovation #UnmannedSystems #EmergingTech #Firestorm #Autonomy #CounterDrone #LaserWeapons #SiliconValleyDefense

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

In this episode of Drone Wars, Dan Magy is joined by defense investors and Silicon Valley Defense Group founders James Cross and Chris Donaghey for a high-octane discussion on the present and future of military innovation. From production bottlenecks to geopolitical realignments, the trio explores what it will take to actually deliver at scale—and at speed.

They talk about why hardware is hard, the myth of acquisition reform, and how Europe and Asia are carving out their own defense ecosystems. They also break down the real reasons VCs suddenly care about defense tech, and why manufacturing—not code—might be the ultimate moat.

Whether you're a founder, policymaker, or defense insider, this one is full of brutal truths and sharp insights.

Timestamps:
0:00 – Kicking Off with Cockroaches in D.C.
1:15 – Being Early in Defense Entrepreneurship
2:40 – Can the DoD Pick Winners?
4:30 – MRAPs, Bureaucracy, and Budget Cuts
6:20 – The ‘Cockroach’ Class and the Illusion of Reform
8:00 – Defense VCs: From SaaS to Strategic Capital
10:15 – Europe Builds for Europe
13:20 – Asia’s Next Move
15:40 – Fiction as Strategy: The Rise of 'White Sun War'
17:15 – Who Runs Out of Robots First?
19:10 – Cost-Plus Contracts and the Scaling Trap
21:00 – Final Thoughts: No Silver Bullet for Small Drones

#DroneWars #DefenseTech #MilitaryInnovation #UnmannedSystems #EmergingTech #Firestorm #Autonomy #CounterDrone #LaserWeapons #SiliconValleyDefense

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.