Taiwan, China and the Future of Drone Wars: Ellen Chang Part I

Ellen Chang is a deep-tech investor focused on the maritime and space domains.She is Managing Director at CapZone Impact Investments, and Co-Founder and Co-President of Wharton Aerospace.She served the U.S. Navy as an Intelligence Officer, later working on JP Morgan’s aerospace team and founding a B2B aviation parts sourcing startup. She spent 12 years at Northrop Grumman, holding leadership roles across systems engineering, program management, and advanced systems, with work spanning autonomous air and space platforms.This episode covers:- Taiwan and China geopolitics.- Ukraine War as a preview of future drone warfare.- Why Taiwan rapidly built a domestic drone industry.00:00 - Teaser01:05 - Introduction: Meet deep tech investor Ellen Chang01:42 - Ukraine as the "Spanish Civil War" precursor to WWII tech02:38 - Ukraine's decentralized "factory" model vs. US Bureaucracy04:04 - The Lobbying Game: Why startups need lobbyists early05:28 - Ellen’s Journey: Growing up in Taiwan in the 60s06:46 - Career Path: Navy Intelligence, Banking, and Northrop Grumman08:04 - Leaving the Primes: The early days of DJI and 3D Robotics09:36 - Re-industrializing America: Opportunity Zones and Shipyards10:24 - Taiwan’s economic rise and export-oriented history12:32 - Reshoring manufacturing: Decoupling from Shenzhen and Guangdong13:55 - The Generational Divide: Taiwanese Identity vs. Reunification15:50 - Galvanizing Identity: Lessons from the 2014 invasion of Ukraine17:02 - Successors of Industry: The US-educated "Second Generation"18:58 - Invasion Scenarios: The geography and defensibility of Taiwan20:56 - Building a native drone industry from scratch in two years23:08 - Legacy: Protecting democracy for the next generationAbout 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.