Sequoia Capital has made its first investment in defense technology by backing Mach Industries, a startup that has gained significant attention in the industry. Since its establishment in 2023, Mach Industries has raised over $80 million. The company was founded by Ethan Thornton, who, at the age of 21, left MIT to concentrate fully on the startup.
However, prior to securing a seed investment from Sequoia in the summer of 2023, Mach Industries encountered a significant challenge. A prototype hydrogen gun being developed by the company exploded, dispersing hundreds of shards and injuring a team member. This incident was first reported by Forbes.
In a public address at the StrictlyVC event in San Francisco on April 3, Thornton attributed the incident to insufficient safety resources. He explained that, at the time, the company was self-funded and lacked the financial means to implement the procedures necessary for safety.
Following the explosion, Mach Industries paused all operations until securing funds from Sequoia Capital. Thornton stated that with the new resources, the company now has a comprehensive safety team and is collaborating with the U.S. military on the development of new weaponry.
Mach Industries has shifted its focus from hydrogen, acknowledging its volatility and describing it as a “probably a bad tech bet” that needed more development. Instead, the company is now concentrating on different types of weapons, including a new cruise missile and a bomb named “Glide,” which can be launched from the edge of space. Additionally, the company recently secured a U.S. Army contract and revealed plans for a network of decentralized factories called “Forge.”
Thornton identified “building a lot of prototypes” as a crucial factor contributing to the $85 million investment from venture capitalists. He emphasized that the company’s strength lies not only in the ability to create these prototypes but also in its capacity to collaborate with the federal government to establish programs of record around them.
