Ethan Thornton, CEO of Mach, has been designing and building weaponry systems in various forms and sizes since his high school days. However, his vision has now transformed into a full-fledged company that has recently secured a contract with the U.S. military and is working towards establishing cross-functional manufacturing facilities. During the StrictlyVC 2025 event in San Francisco, TechCrunch’s Charles Rollet had a conversation with Thornton, where they discussed Mach’s strategies, its goal to compete with China, and Thornton’s early experiences in developing weapons.