Ex-SpaceX Dragon Capsule software lead, Karthik Gollapudi, built two-fault-tolerant systems that flew astronauts to the ISS. He left to found Sift, an AI platform that automates testing, manufacturing and observability for rockets, rovers and autonomous fleets. 

This episode covers: 

- SpaceX’s young staff & the push for automating everything. 
- Same job in 12 months = failure.  
- Bootstrapping a tech startup team and funding.  

Check out Sift: www.siftstack.com.

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.

A VC pro covers AI ethics, a boom of domestic jobs in tech, and why the gov needs to get out of the way.  

Hamlet Yousef is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Irongate Capital Advisors, where he leads investments in early-stage technologies that strengthen national defense. He has worked with organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies across disruptive and emerging technology sectors.   

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.

A VC managing partner discusses lessons from Ukraine, UAS disrupting warfare economics and “venture tourists”.  

Hamlet Yousef is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Irongate Capital Advisors, where he leads investments in early-stage technologies that strengthen national defense. He has worked with organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies across disruptive and emerging technology sectors.

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.

Are our adversaries building ethical AI? 

Dive into it on the pod with Lt. Col. Joshua “Cabo” Gunderson, former combat pilot, and former Commander of the Air Force F-22 Demo Team. Since leaving active duty, he serves in the Nevada Air National Guard as an F-22 Subject Matter Expert, works for a private company as a corporate pilot flying the Challenger 300 aircraft, and consults for aviation clients.  

Hear his takes on ethics in the military, democratizing defense tech, strategic bombardment and advice for the next gen of combat pilots.  

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.

Are our adversaries building ethical AI? 

Dive into it on the pod with Lt. Col. Joshua “Cabo” Gunderson, former combat pilot, and former Commander of the Air Force F-22 Demo Team. Since leaving active duty, he serves in the Nevada Air National Guard as an F-22 Subject Matter Expert, works for a private company as a corporate pilot flying the Challenger 300 aircraft, and consults for aviation clients.  

Hear his takes on ethics in the military, democratizing defense tech, strategic bombardment and advice for the next gen of combat pilots.  

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.

General David H. Petraeus (US Army, Ret.), is a Partner in the global investment firm KKR; Chairman of the KKR Global Institute; and Chairman of KKR Middle East. He is also a member of the boards of Optiv and OneStream; a Strategic Advisor for Semperis, Advanced Navigation, and Ontic; a personal venture investor; the Kissinger Fellow at Yale's Univ's Jackson School; a speaker with the Washington Speakers Bureau; and co-author with Andrew Roberts of the NYT, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly best seller "Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Gaza,” also selected History Book of the year by Aspects of History.

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.

General David H. Petraeus (US Army, Ret.), is a Partner in the global investment firm KKR; Chairman of the KKR Global Institute; and Chairman of KKR Middle East. He is also a member of the boards of Optiv and OneStream; a Strategic Advisor for Semperis, Advanced Navigation, and Ontic; a personal venture investor; the Kissinger Fellow at Yale's Univ's Jackson School; a speaker with the Washington Speakers Bureau; and co-author with Andrew Roberts of the NYT, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly best seller "Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Gaza,” also selected History Book of the year by Aspects of History.

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.

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.