Founding the Fight: Startups and the Future of Defense - Nathan Mintz | Part I

Part I: From Defense Primes to Deep Tech StartupsIn this special two-part edition of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy sits down with defense tech entrepreneur Nathan Mintz, CEO of CX2, for a wide-ranging conversation on innovation, autonomy, and the evolving front lines of national security.Nathan reflects on his early engineering work at Boeing and Raytheon, then dives into his transition into the startup world. He shares the founding stories of Epirus—recognized for pioneering microwave weaponry—and Spartan, which delivered defense-grade radar into the commercial market. The discussion explores how lean, capital-efficient startups are stretching the boundaries of modern military technology and redefining how innovation moves from concept to deployment.Timestamps:00:00 – Welcome and Nathan Mintz's early background02:18 – Working on radar systems at Boeing and Raytheon05:30 – Epirus: Founding, fundraising, and microwave breakthroughs10:04 – Building Spartan: Startups in automotive radar and defense13:56 – CX2 and rethinking spectrum operations17:20 – Why defense innovation needs capital efficiency21:10 – What Ukraine taught us about spectrum warfare#DroneWars #NathanMintz #DefenseTech #FirestormDrones #ElectronicWarfare #StartupToScale #DeepTech #UnmannedSystems #ModernWarfare #ElSegundo #MilitaryInnovationAbout Drone WarsThe Drone Wars Podcast serves the warfighters, builders and innovators who all share a common goal: get the best tech into the hands of those on the frontlines. Dan Magy, Co-Founder and CEO of Firestorm Labs, explores all things defense and geopolitics with experts in the industry.