MIT Dropout Ethan Thornton Secures $100M For Mach Industries, Backed By Sequoia And Khosla, To Revolutionize U.S. Defense Tech
From Yahoo Finance: 2025-05-09 19:34:00
21-year-old Ethan Thornton is making waves in modern warfare as the CEO of Mach Industries. The defense tech startup just secured $100 million in funding, bringing its total raised capital to $185 million. Mach’s valuation is now around $470 million, according to TechCrunch.
Thornton, who left MIT to focus on Mach full-time, has been working on the company since high school, where he operated a wood and metal workshop to bootstrap initial prototypes. Mach is based in Huntington Beach, California, and aims to revolutionize defense hardware and production processes.
The startup is building “Forge 1,” a 115,000-square-foot facility in Southern California to manufacture advanced products. This facility is the first step in Mach’s plan to establish a network of decentralized micro-factories across the U.S. and internationally, managing the full production process from raw materials to final assembly.
Mach’s distributed approach aims to create a resilient national defense infrastructure by building smaller factories instead of centralized ones. The company recently partnered with Heven Drones to assemble and scale unmanned aerial systems at Forge 1. Mach’s product lineup includes Viper, a jet-powered vertical takeoff and landing UAV, and Glide, a weapon launched from near-space altitudes for increased strike range.
Mach made headlines after being Sequoia Capital’s first investment in the defense tech sector. The startup’s recent funding rounds have attracted investors like Khosla Ventures and Bedrock Capital. With groundbreaking products, a U.S. Army contract, and a growing team, Mach Industries is shaping up to be a key player in American defense technology.