Matt Higgins

And we spent the next several years working to create a tool that would give the warfighter on the edge of conflict the ability to call in their own air support in the form of this drone. And why I love that story, aside from I think it's just some of the best work that I've ever done professionally with my team, my co-founders, is we had to see the future.

And we spent the next several years working to create a tool that would give the warfighter on the edge of conflict the ability to call in their own air support in the form of this drone. And why I love that story, aside from I think it's just some of the best work that I've ever done professionally with my team, my co-founders, is we had to see the future.

We had to believe it with all of our heart. And we had to do something so difficult. There's even a name for it. It's called the Valley of Death in the military world and defense. It's this gulf where you don't get a program of record, but you have to spend so much money creating it in the hopes that one day you'll win. And we worked on it.

We had to believe it with all of our heart. And we had to do something so difficult. There's even a name for it. It's called the Valley of Death in the military world and defense. It's this gulf where you don't get a program of record, but you have to spend so much money creating it in the hopes that one day you'll win. And we worked on it.

Tens of millions of dollars and all this effort below the radar on September 11, 2024. The US Army designated our drone the program of record for the United States. And whether somebody is interested in this category or not, or robotics or military, what I love about it is we could have just chosen to never try. We could have instead say it's just a sport.

Tens of millions of dollars and all this effort below the radar on September 11, 2024. The US Army designated our drone the program of record for the United States. And whether somebody is interested in this category or not, or robotics or military, what I love about it is we could have just chosen to never try. We could have instead say it's just a sport.

The most incredible outcomes come from when you make those pivots and you see something and you're willing to believe it. And the reason why I said before, you have to be comfortable being alone like that little boy in the steps of Cardoza High School, is that if I had relied on other people's validation that the future of conflict was gonna be about small drones,

The most incredible outcomes come from when you make those pivots and you see something and you're willing to believe it. And the reason why I said before, you have to be comfortable being alone like that little boy in the steps of Cardoza High School, is that if I had relied on other people's validation that the future of conflict was gonna be about small drones,

nobody would have believed me in 2017, right? Like, and now everyone reads the clips about what happened in Ukraine. This is a national security priority for the United States of America, that we have a domestic drone industry. To be honest, I always thought it would be, and so did my colleagues, but we were alone in that thought.

nobody would have believed me in 2017, right? Like, and now everyone reads the clips about what happened in Ukraine. This is a national security priority for the United States of America, that we have a domestic drone industry. To be honest, I always thought it would be, and so did my colleagues, but we were alone in that thought.

You know, so we just had to like talk, no one cares, no one's listening, and we just had to do it. And so fast forward, I love that. I love the moments when I had to be lead alone with a few colleagues and no one agreed. And then you come out the other side and everyone is right there alongside with you. And the best work I've ever done, that's always the same scenario, you know?

You know, so we just had to like talk, no one cares, no one's listening, and we just had to do it. And so fast forward, I love that. I love the moments when I had to be lead alone with a few colleagues and no one agreed. And then you come out the other side and everyone is right there alongside with you. And the best work I've ever done, that's always the same scenario, you know?

And that's why it's so important to realize that The magnitude of an opportunity has an inverse relationship with the amount of evidence and validation there'll be to support it. When you deconstruct that sentence, of course, this is a huge opportunity and we need to build this domestic drone industry. Nobody agrees. Why? Because it's a big opportunity and it's not here yet.

And that's why it's so important to realize that The magnitude of an opportunity has an inverse relationship with the amount of evidence and validation there'll be to support it. When you deconstruct that sentence, of course, this is a huge opportunity and we need to build this domestic drone industry. Nobody agrees. Why? Because it's a big opportunity and it's not here yet.

So anyone out there, when you're like, why won't anybody listen to me? Or why does my wife or husband think I'm crazy? It's because the epiphany was rendered to you alone as a gift from God or the universe. The epiphany was not given to your spouse.

So anyone out there, when you're like, why won't anybody listen to me? Or why does my wife or husband think I'm crazy? It's because the epiphany was rendered to you alone as a gift from God or the universe. The epiphany was not given to your spouse.

or your boss, or your frenemy, it was given to you at three in the morning, and it's your baby, and it's your burden now to carry it alone until others will one day agree with you.

or your boss, or your frenemy, it was given to you at three in the morning, and it's your baby, and it's your burden now to carry it alone until others will one day agree with you.

I think a couple of things. One, for anyone out there who also has gone through trauma or poverty and like pain, like It's okay that it takes a lifetime to heal. I am not even remotely healed. It's a lifelong pursuit. So be kind to yourself that it takes a long time.

I think a couple of things. One, for anyone out there who also has gone through trauma or poverty and like pain, like It's okay that it takes a lifetime to heal. I am not even remotely healed. It's a lifelong pursuit. So be kind to yourself that it takes a long time.