Drone Swarms Are Coming and America Isn’t Close to Ready
On this episode of Bullets & Beans, Jake Chapman sits down with Dan Magy - CEO of Firestorm and one of the most candid voices in defense tech.
Dan has been on every side of the national-security innovation ecosystem and his perspective is brutally honest, deeply experienced, and packed with lessons for anyone trying to get real capability into the field.
If you want the real story on autonomy and why building for the DoD is harder (and more important) than most people think, this conversation delivers.
Why This Episode Matters
Defense technology is shifting faster than the institutions meant to adopt it. Autonomy, sensing, and rapid hardware cycles are rewriting the rules of modern conflict, but the path to fielding those systems is still slow, opaque, and unforgiving.
Dan offers a combination of hard truths and actionable guidance:
why so many defense start-ups miss
how counter-UAS actually works
what’s real (and not) in autonomy
and how founders can survive
Whether you’re a founder, investor, operator, or policy leader, this is a sharp, grounded look at the state of defense innovation - and where it needs to go next.
Created by Marque Ventures, Bullets & Beans seeks to accelerate innovation in national security and defense with engaging podcasts and regional networking events.