The Drone Ultimatum

01:16:33

The $1.1 Billion Plan to Scale Drone Warfare | Derek...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/10/02

Derek McBride, Portfolio Manager in the Autonomous Warfare portfolio at the Department of War Innovation Unit (DIU), joins the show to discuss how the Pentagon is approaching drones, autonomy, and the defense industrial base.Derek on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekmcbride/DIU Website: https://www.diu.mil/Follow the show!Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoniSpotify:

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00:54:40

Orchestrating the Robot Battlefield | Josh Giegel &...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/09/28

Josh Giegel is the Founder and CEO of Gambit AI, an autonomous systems software company building technology to coordinate teams of robots. Before founding Gambit, Josh worked at SpaceX on the Merlin 1D engine and co-founded Hyperloop Technologies, later Virgin Hyperloop. Ben Richardson, Gambit’s Chief Commercial Officer, brings a military and defense innovation background to the company.Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-giegel/Ben on LinkedIn:

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00:54:33

Reusable Satellites and the Future of Space...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/09/18

Brian Taylor is the Founder & CEO of Lux Aeterna, a startup developing the world's first fully reusable satellite for high-tempo, reliable, and flexible timelines in orbit.Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianjtaylor/Lux Aeterna: https://www.luxaeterna.com/Follow the show!Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoniSpotify:

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01:15:11

Drone Warfare Is Changing Faster Than Defenses Can...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/09/11

Read the Global Drone Threat Report (2026): https://dronesec.com/resources/d479e340-f78f-11f0-ab58-9fListen to our first podcast with Mike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2utl1hG9FcMike Monnik, founder and CEO of DroneSec, joins The Drone Ultimatum to explain what his team is seeing across the global drone threat landscape—from fiber-optic FPVs and jet-powered attack drones to maritime systems, humanoid robots, and drone-enabled gray-zone operations.DroneSec tracks how militaries, terrorist

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00:59:57

Why Cyber Warfare Is Becoming Autonomous | Bohdan...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/08/28

Bohdan Volyanyuk is the co-founder and COO of Autonomous Cyber, a company building autonomous capabilities for offensive cyber operations.Bohdan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bohdanvolyanyuk/Autonomous Cyber: https://www.acyber.com/Follow the show!Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoniSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3F1sc8yzQIF9WcdHQ3w7kfApple Podcasts:

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01:03:06

Building the Operating System for Drone Swarms | Alex...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/08/21

Alex Fink is the President & US CEO of Swarmer (NASDAQ: SWMR), helping drones fly autonomously, without pilots, and work together in large teams. Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/temuchin43/Swarmer: https://swarmer.com/Follow the show!Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoniSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3F1sc8yzQIF9WcdHQ3w7kfApple Podcasts:

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01:20:34

Counter-Drone Robotics, Defense Capital, and Building...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/08/14

Russell Smith is the co-founder and CEO of 9 Mothers, a startup building autonomous systems for military use.Russell on X: https://x.com/rhs?s=209 Mothers: https://9mothers.com/Follow the show!Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoniSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3F1sc8yzQIF9WcdHQ3w7kfApple Podcasts:

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01:21:33

Bullfrog, AI & the Next Era of Drone Warfare | Luke...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/08/10

Luke Allen is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Allen Control Systems. Scott Hutchins is the Chief Product Officer at Allen Control Systems.Allen Control Systems: https://www.allencontrolsystems.com/Follow the show!Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/Follow the show!Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3F1sc8yzQIF9WcdHQ3w7kfApple Podcasts:

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01:05:47

Building The Future of Autonomous Ground Warfare |...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/07/31

Nic Adams is the Director of Government Relations at Overland AI.Nic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-adams208/Overland AI: https://www.overland.ai/Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/Follow the show!Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3F1sc8yzQIF9WcdHQ3w7kfApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-drone-ultimatum/id1770994541⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our

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01:09:01

Leaving Big Tech to Build Defense Technology | Omar...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/07/24

Omar Javaid is the CEO of Rampart Communications, a company that provides resilient wireless communications with physical layer encryption, protecting against cyber and EW threats.Omar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojavaid/Rampart Communications: https://rampartcommunications.com/Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/Follow the show!Spotify:

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00:52:50

How Vertical Autonomy Is Rethinking Tactical Military...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/07/17

Stephen Ziegenfuss is the Co-Founder of Vertical Autonomy, a company building next-generation unmanned systems.Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-ziegenfuss-6139546/Vertical Autonomy: https://www.verticalautonomy.com/Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/Follow the show!Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3F1sc8yzQIF9WcdHQ3w7kfApple Podcasts:

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00:46:28

The Race to Stop Drones Is Just Beginning | Brett...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/07/10

Brett Velicovich is the founder of Powerus and a former intelligence professional who spent years supporting special operations and drone missions before working alongside frontline units in Ukraine. Brett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-velicovich-86a3651a/Brett on X: https://x.com/TheDroneWarriorPowerus: https://www.power.us/Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/Follow

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00:57:55

Why the Next Battlefield Is Below Ground | Yadin...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/06/30

Yadin Soffer, co-founder and CEO of Traysar Industries, joins Steve to discuss why the future of warfare may be shifting beneath the surface.Yadin on X: https://x.com/yadinsofferYadin on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadinsoffer/Traysar: https://www.traysar.com/Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/Follow the show!Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3F1sc8yzQIF9WcdHQ3w7kfApple

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00:46:19

Building the Future of Defense: Investing in...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/06/26

Defense venture capital has entered a new era.In this episode, Steve Simoni speaks with Vardan Gattani, Partner at 645 Ventures, about why investors are increasingly focused on national security, how defense startups are evaluated, and what founders need to build enduring companies.Vardan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vardangattani/645 Ventures: https://645ventures.com/Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoniSteve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

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01:12:23

Dark Factories, AI Agents, and Mass Production for...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/06/19

In this episode, Steve sits down with Dennis DeMeyere, Co-Founder and CEO of Autonomous Production.Manufacturing capacity has become a strategic advantage. As drones, autonomous systems, and precision weapons reshape modern warfare, the ability to produce at scale is becoming just as important as the technology itself.Dennis discusses how autonomous factories, AI-powered manufacturing systems, and distributed production networks could transform the defense industrial base. We explore lessons from

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00:48:17

How Investors Evaluate Defense Startups | Jason Zins,...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/06/12

Jason Zins is the Founder and Managing Partner of Nomi Capital. Nomi Capital invests across defense, aerospace, manufacturing, space, energy, and national security technologies. Jason shares how his team evaluates defense startups, why they focus on later-stage companies, and what separates durable businesses from hype-driven investments.We discuss the current state of defense venture capital, manufacturing bottlenecks, the evolution of military technology, defense software, hypersonics, space

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01:25:34

The Future of Defense Integration, Open Systems, and...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/06/08

In this episode, Steve sits down with John "JD" Parkes, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Parry Labs, and Amber Walker, Chief Growth Officer.(00:00) Intro(01:34) Building Parry Labs(02:58) Edge computing and electronic warfare(07:26) Mapping the defense technology ecosystem(22:06) Advice for defense startups(31:01) Ukraine and scalable military systems(32:30) AI at the edge(44:20) How defense contracting really works(45:43) Customer acquisition in defense(52:24) Software business models

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00:52:38

Picogrid and the Defense Integration Problem | Zane...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/05/29

Zane Mountcastle is the co-founder and CEO of Picogrid, a defense technology company building the software and hardware infrastructure layer that connects drones, sensors, autonomous systems, and command platforms into unified operational networks.Learn more about our sponsor, Cushman & Wakefield(00:00) Intro(01:18) What Picogrid actually does (03:34) The integration problem across defense systems (07:02) Building infrastructure instead of one-off integrations (10:41) Deploying software inside

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01:04:47

How Drones and Autonomous Boats Are Reshaping...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/05/22

Ben Cipperley is the Chief Strategy Officer of HavocAI and a former Navy EOD officer who spent more than two decades in the Navy, including work on robotics, autonomy, and the Navy’s strategic modernization efforts.00:00 - Intro01:21 - Ben’s Navy background05:05 - Robotic naval systems12:15 - Replicator initiative13:25 - Containerized warfare16:46 - Starlink and communications25:21 - Ukraine vs Russian Navy27:55 - China and Pacific deterrence40:47 - Autonomous weapons policy46:34 - Building a

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01:12:29

Defense Investing in the Age of AI, China, and...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/05/15

Weston Moyer and Jonathan Rue of MVP Ventures join The Drone Ultimatum to discuss defense tech investing, AI, robotics, aerospace, manufacturing, and what it takes for startups to scale in national security.00:00:00 — Intro00:02:13 — Anthropic and Pentagon AI concerns00:07:16 — Saronic and defense manufacturing scale00:08:46 — Guam and Pacific logistics00:12:25 — Shahed drones and counter-UAS economics00:14:04 — How defense sales actually work00:29:38 — Anduril, Lattice, and defense software00:31:10

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