Mach Industries: The 21-Year-Old Founder Building the Future of Defense Tech

In a world where the defense industry is often dominated by seasoned veterans, a young entrepreneur is shaking things up. Ethan Thornton, just 21 years old, has founded Mach Industries, a buzzy defense tech startup that just landed a major contract with the U.S. Army.

Mach Industries, which is backed by Sequoia Capital, is building a 115,000 square foot factory in Huntington Beach, California to produce its cutting-edge defense technologies. The factory, dubbed "Forge 1," will be the first of many decentralized production facilities the company plans to establish, both in the U.S. and internationally.

The key to Mach's innovative approach is its focus on scalability and flexibility. Rather than relying on massive, centralized factories, the company is building a distributed network of smaller production facilities. This, according to CEO Thornton, will allow Mach to "ramp up production" quickly if needed, without being beholden to specialized tooling or infrastructure.

Mach's first products include the "Glide" bomb, which can be deployed from the edge of space to strike targets anywhere on Earth, and the "Viper" – a jet-powered, vertical takeoff and landing drone that is up to 300 times less expensive to build than traditional UAVs.

Thornton's journey to founding Mach Industries is equally remarkable. While still in high school, he was already running a workshop to bootstrap the company and develop its initial products. He then took the bold step of dropping out of MIT to focus on Mach full-time.

Now, at just 21 years old, Thornton has not only secured major funding from Sequoia and other prominent investors, but has also landed a coveted contract with the U.S. Army to develop its "Strategic Strike" vertical takeoff precision cruise missile.

Mach Industries' success is a testament to the power of youth, innovation, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. As the defense tech industry continues to evolve, keep an eye on this young founder and his mission to build a more decentralized, flexible, and responsive defense industrial base.