Peace Through Deterrence
Torrance, CA
Joined October 2023
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Castelion retweeted
🪽 More than two dozen countries operate the F-16, making this market potentially huge.
And Castelion previously secured money for defense exportability design modifications ...
@axios axios.com/2026/11/03/f16-hyp…
Castelion retweeted
F-16s could soon be armed with Castelion's hypersonic missile axios.com/2026/11/03/f16-hyp…
Castelion retweeted
Torrance, Calif.-based startup Castelion has become a darling of the defense tech boom, in part because it encapsulates the movement’s raison d’être: The U.S. must rebuild its industrial base faster, cheaper, and with an eye to scale. bit.ly/4BJexX5
Castelion founders spoke with @FortuneMagazine about building affordable hypersonics at scale.
Thank you, Fortune, for the feature.
fortune.com/2026/10/31/hyper…
Castelion retweeted
The 2026 American Dynamism 50 is here: our annual list of 50 companies, from within the a16z portfolio and beyond, building for America's future.
This year's theme is Production is Deterrence. "America's ability to prevent conflict depends on what it can build, how fast it can deliver, and how long it can keep going."
A new generation of defense companies is moving from prototypes to full-scale production, and the industrial base has to keep pace. This year's list is organized around three pillars:
1. Systems: the drones, ships, missiles, aircraft, and spacecraft that deter conflict.
2. Factories: the plants, tools, and software that build them.
3. Inputs: the materials and power they're made of and run on.
Get all three right, and the impact reaches well beyond defense, to skilled jobs, revitalized communities, and the supply chains behind energy, housing, and everyday goods.
Meet all 50: a16z.news/p/ad-50-2026-produ…
Deterrence depends on systems that can be produced in sufficient numbers, quickly, and affordably. We've designed Blackbeard with production in mind from the start.
Thanks to @specialreport for the coverage.
Castelion retweeted
MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR PRICE TAGS: As the U.S. looks to refill its missile stockpiles and counter sophisticated adversaries, the military is investing heavily in maneuverable hypersonic weapons. From multi-million dollar legacy projects like the Army's Dark Eagle to innovative startups building sub-$500,000 systems and expanding testing capabilities, we break down what it takes to secure America's technological edge.
Castelion retweeted
My first conversation with Bryon Hargis (@hargsb), Cofounder and CEO of @Castelion. This is a special edition of our show recorded at @reindsummit. Since then, Castelion has announced a $1 billion Series C funding valuing the company at $13 billion making it one of the most valuable defense technology companies in the ecosystem.
What we cover:
- Why Bryon sold his SpaceX stock to bootstrap Castelion and bet two-thirds of his savings on the mission.
- Why affordable, mass-produced hypersonic missiles are central to his vision of American deterrence.
- Building Blackbeard, winning the first Navy order, and scaling production to thousands of missiles a year.
- The SpaceX lessons behind faster hardware development: rapid testing, questioning convention, and knowing when to change course.
- Hiring for mission over money and why company culture is built one person at a time.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
01:00 Bootstrapping with SpaceX stock and crypto mining
07:00 Why Bryon started a defense company
11:00 Building deterrence and landing the first Navy order
14:00 Scaling missile manufacturing in New Mexico
18:00 Meet Blackbeard: Castelion’s hypersonic missile
20:00 Hypersonic vs. ballistic vs. cruise missiles
23:00 Golden Dome and the future of missile defense
25:00 How SpaceX enables America’s national security
27:00 Elon Musk, ambitious deadlines, and moving faster
30:00 Why rapid testing beats over-engineering
33:00 Lessons from SpaceX: Question convention, follow the data
38:00 Hiring for the mission and building company culture
45:00 Growing as a founder and being willing to be wrong
Congrats to friends of the show @a16z @davidu @TheAmbitionCap @lacostejonathan and others including @lightspeedvp @AltimeterCap @generalcatalyst
Special thanks to @falondonohue @austinbishop @aphysicist for hosting @WeThe_Builders in Detroit
We're building something big in New Mexico, with the people who call it home. Join us! castelion.com/project-ranger…