Inside the Machine: How Venture and Defense Collide - Chris Donaghey & James Cross | Part II

Drone Wars

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.