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He Dropped Out of MIT at 19 to Build America’s Drone Arsenal. It’s Working | StrictlyVC LA 2026

Ethan Thornton started Mach Industries at 16, dropped out of MIT, and is now running six simultaneous defense programs: jet engines, cruise missiles, a surface-to-air missile system, and a new 40-foot VTOL strike aircraft just contracted by the U.S. Navy. At StrictlyVC Los Angeles 2026, TechCrunch Editor in Chief Connie Loizos sat down with the…

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Ethan Thornton started Mach Industries at 16, dropped out of MIT, and is now running six simultaneous defense programs: jet engines, cruise missiles, a surface-to-air missile system, and a new 40-foot VTOL strike aircraft just contracted by the U.S. Navy.

At StrictlyVC Los Angeles 2026, TechCrunch Editor in Chief Connie Loizos sat down with the Mach Industries founder and CEO for a rare on-stage conversation about what it actually takes to build a serious defense hardware company from scratch — and why the U.S. has no choice but to move faster.

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8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. @WakenBoi

    June 20, 2026 at 12:01 pm

    Nepobaby silverspoon

    • @rangeroverr3874

      June 20, 2026 at 4:17 pm

      I don’t think so what made u say that

    • @Observe411

      June 20, 2026 at 7:54 pm

      You probably majored in gender studies.

  2. @bobbobby1438

    June 20, 2026 at 12:11 pm

    Very smart kid

  3. @BrianDarcy-o1l

    June 20, 2026 at 5:11 pm

    Should ask him about implanting a hardcore profit-before-people ideology into AI robotics???

    • @w.e.b_b

      June 20, 2026 at 5:19 pm

      LOLOLOL so America should focus more on having people sharpening spears instead of developing a new weapon? Gtfo

  4. @viuo-o4p

    June 20, 2026 at 6:40 pm

    This guy raised over 100 million
    And have his employees design the weapons
    His weapons is worse then andril most of his weapons he designed already existed

  5. @ChaitanyaJongra

    June 21, 2026 at 2:55 am

    a great founder.
    moves really fast and gets shit done.

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CNET

Google DeepMind Demos Gemini Robotics 2 Doing Household Chores, and We Can’t Wait for the Future!

Google DeepMind released a series of videos demonstrating Gemini Robotics 2 utilizing the Apptronik Apollo 2 Humanoid Robot working alongside the Franka F3 Duo Dual-Arm System robot, and it looks like I won’t be doing too many household chores in the near future. You can read more about Google DeepMind on CNET.com Google DeepMind Will…

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Google DeepMind released a series of videos demonstrating Gemini Robotics 2 utilizing the Apptronik Apollo 2 Humanoid Robot working alongside the Franka F3 Duo Dual-Arm System robot, and it looks like I won’t be doing too many household chores in the near future.

You can read more about Google DeepMind on CNET.com
Google DeepMind Will Train AI Models on the MMORPG Eve Online

0:00 Apollo Intro
0:07 Apollo putting away items in specific places
0:56 Gemini Robotics 2 Multi-Robot Collaboration
1:07 Duo’s Dual-Arm System putting away tools
2:04 Apollo’s Intelligent Whole Body Control
3:34 Apollo’s Advanced Dexterity

Video Credits
Producer/Editor: Stephen Beacham
Source:

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#google #ai #googledeepmind #robot #robotics #machinelearning

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Science & Technology

Why SeatGeek walked away from going public with Jack Groetzinger

SeatGeek didn’t become one of the biggest names in ticketing by following the playbook. It started as a simple ticket search engine on the TechCrunch 50 stage () (now known as TechCrunch Battlefield) and took on the industry’s massive incumbents by expanding its vision, surviving industry-defining challenges, and convincing investors that even a monopoly could…

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SeatGeek didn’t become one of the biggest names in ticketing by following the playbook. It started as a simple ticket search engine on the TechCrunch 50 stage () (now known as TechCrunch Battlefield) and took on the industry’s massive incumbents by expanding its vision, surviving industry-defining challenges, and convincing investors that even a monopoly could be disrupted.

In this episode of Build Mode () , host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Jack Groetzinger, co-founder and CEO of SeatGeek, to unpack the company’s 17-year journey from startup to industry leader. Jack shares how SeatGeek raised nearly $400 million in venture capital, why he believes founders should think about expanding rather than pivoting, what it was like fundraising during the COVID-19 shutdown of live events, and why the company ultimately walked away from its planned SPAC. () He also explains how founders can convince investors to back them against an entrenched incumbent, why your first hires define your company’s future, and how AI is reshaping the future of live entertainment and ticketing.

They get into:

Why SeatGeek chose to compete with Ticketmaster and how investors evaluated that opportunity

How SeatGeek survived COVID and closed its hardest fundraising round during the pandemic

Why passionate customers can become your best fundraising asset

The hiring mistakes Jack wishes he could undo and why your first employees shape company culture

How AI is transforming ticketing, live entertainment, and the fan experience

Jack Groetzinger’s advice for founders building companies that challenge established incumbents

Subscribe to Build Mode on⁠ () Apple Podcasts⁠ () , ⁠Spotify⁠ () , or⁠ () wherever you like to listen⁠ () . And watch the full videos on⁠ () YouTube⁠ () . New episodes of ⁠Build Mode⁠ () drop every Thursday. 

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro: How Startups Enter Nvidia’s Orbit

01:20 – Meet Sydney Sykes: From NEA to Lightspeed to Nvidia

03:18 – What Sydney Does as Nvidia’s VC Alliances Lead

04:20 – The AI Trends Nvidia Is Watching Across Verticals

07:47 – How Startups Can Enter the Nvidia Orbit

10:34 – What Nvidia’s “Stamp of Approval” Actually Looks Like

12:56 – How Startups Get Noticed by Corporates (Beyond Nvidia)

15:18 – Does a Corporate Stamp Move VCs to Write Checks?

19:41 – Access, Black VC, and Gatekeeping in Venture Capital

30:20 – Procurement vs. Corporate VC vs. Traditional VC, Explained

38:28 – Final Advice for Founders Chasing Corporate Partnerships

Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams. 

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Science & Technology

SeatGeek Beat the Odds: Raising $400M, Surviving COVID & Competing with Ticketmaster l Build Mode

SeatGeek didn’t become one of the biggest names in ticketing by following the playbook. It started as a simple ticket search engine on the TechCrunch 50 stage (now known as TechCrunch Battlefield) and took on the industry’s massive incumbents by expanding its vision, surviving industry-defining challenges, and convincing investors that even a monopoly could be…

Published

on

SeatGeek didn’t become one of the biggest names in ticketing by following the playbook. It started as a simple ticket search engine on the TechCrunch 50 stage (now known as TechCrunch Battlefield) and took on the industry’s massive incumbents by expanding its vision, surviving industry-defining challenges, and convincing investors that even a monopoly could be disrupted.

In this episode of Build Mode, host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Jack Groetzinger, co-founder and CEO of SeatGeek, to unpack the company’s 17-year journey from startup to industry leader. Jack shares how SeatGeek raised nearly $400 million in venture capital, why he believes founders should think about expanding rather than pivoting, what it was like fundraising during the COVID-19 shutdown of live events, and why the company ultimately walked away from its planned SPAC. He also explains how founders can convince investors to back them against an entrenched incumbent, why your first hires define your company’s future, and how AI is reshaping the future of live entertainment and ticketing.

Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: How SeatGeek Took on Ticketmaster
01:09 – From Startup Battlefield to Building SeatGeek
04:03 – Finding Product-Market Fit in a Broken Ticketing Industry
05:54 – Why SeatGeek Expanded Instead of Pivoting
07:14 – Raising Nearly $400M and Surviving the Hardest Fundraise During COVID
10:46 – Why SeatGeek Walked Away from Its SPAC IPO
13:57 – How to Raise Money Against a Monopoly Like Ticketmaster
17:02 – The Hiring Mistakes That Nearly Hurt SeatGeek’s Culture
19:08 – How AI Will Transform Live Entertainment and Ticketing
22:19 – Regulation, Competition, and Jack Groetzinger’s Advice for Founders

Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

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