Russell Smith
Founder of 9 Mothers, Counter Drone Systems. $1.6m sales. We delivered for the DoW.
Company
Russell Smith is listed as a founder of 9 Mothers. We have sold $1.6m of systems to the DoW. Multiple systems delivered to the DoW. Our first product - EDDA - is a counter drone system - small, low power, low cost fully autonomous-capable. It's designed to be used on vehicles, bases, or carried - to stop group 1 suicide drones. We have multiple contracts, sales, etc. We have 3 more products with demand in various stages of development. More details at https://9mothers.com
Founder traction evidence
Public posts and activity attributed directly to this founder.
- X
Having done YC before, it's amazing to be back.
Having done YC before, it's amazing to be back. The energy is the same 14 years (!!) on. Also, the quality of the folks I met was just as a high, if not more. So many have done a ton already, some are early. All are moving super fast. Crazy achievement by the YC team and
- X
Interview about @Inc and @lisabonos - @9Mothers , @ployai, @ApolloAtomics, and more @ycombinator P26 folks! https://t.co/jV0eABD7Ug
Interview about @Inc and @lisabonos - @9Mothers , @ployai, @ApolloAtomics, and more @ycombinator P26 folks! https://t.co/jV0eABD7Ug
- LinkedIn
has the only system fast enough to counter multiple FPV drones at close range. thanks to everyone who backed me. if you're in Austin (or need a roommate lol), let's connect. …more
has the only system fast enough to counter multiple FPV drones at close range. thanks to everyone who backed me. if you're in Austin (or need a roommate lol), let's connect. …more
- LinkedIn
🎉 Portfolio Highlight: 9 Mothers 🎉 9 Mothers is building AI-powered defense systems designed to counter the growing threat of small, fast attack drones. As modern conflicts increasingly rely on inexpensive FPV drones, traditional missile-based defenses have become too costly and slow to respond. 9 Mothers is addressing this gap by creating compact, autonomous counter-UAS systems that detect, track, and neutralize multiple drones at close range. Their first product is an AI-powered point-defense turret engineered specifically for fast-moving drones operating within roughly 10–100 meters. The system combines acoustic sensing, computer vision, and high-speed motion control to identify incoming drones and engage them in real time. It is designed to be lightweight, low-cost, and easily deployable by small military units or mounted on vehicles and installations. By prioritizing speed, simpli
🎉 Portfolio Highlight: 9 Mothers 🎉 9 Mothers is building AI-powered defense systems designed to counter the growing threat of small, fast attack drones. As modern conflicts increasingly rely on inexpensive FPV drones, traditional missile-based defenses have become too costly...
- X
Alumni day was awesome, so many old faces, and new to meet.
Alumni day was awesome, so many old faces, and new to meet. I thought I'd miss the computer history museum, but this space is spot on. https://t.co/Iz8Dw6ZJvt
- LinkedIn
We got in to Y Combinator as a defense company! Five months ago, we were working out of a windowless basement next to KTH in Stockholm. It was the middle of winter. No sunlight. No sense of time. Most days were spent building drones and rockets. And every night, Fabian, Hugo, and I ate the same chargrilled chicken wrap for 63 SEK (~$6). One night, around midnight, Pete from Y Combinator stopped by after a YC event in Stockholm. We had hired a guy to build a testing system for our drone, so from the outside it probably looked like we had a ridiculously ambitious team working around the clock. As Pete was leaving, we wanted to leave something so we became memorable. So Fabian grabbed a PCB we'd designed, wrote our company name on it, and handed it to him. A week later, we got in. We've made more progress in this short period than many teams achieve in years. And thanks to the money from YC
We got in to Y Combinator as a defense company! Five months ago, we were working out of a windowless basement next to KTH in Stockholm. It was the middle of winter. No sunlight. No sense of time. Most days were spent building drones and rockets. And every night, Fabian, Hugo,...
- LinkedIn
I remember buying the first consumer drone, the ParrotAR, and having the terrifying realization that drones would eventually be used as suicide drones in war and terrorism. The problem is highly asymmetric, since drones are small and mobile and cheap. Having small and mobile defense is a critical step in regaining the balance of power and protecting troops and civilians. 9 Mothers is building the solution: a portable autoturret that shoots drones out of the sky. 9 mothers founder Russell Smith is badass, effective, pragmatic, and HIGH VELOCITY. When we met up with Russell, he showed us their weekly progress videos. He was concerned they weren't moving fast enough. It was the fastest hardware progress I'd seen. Week after week of intense hardware progress towards actual practical deployment. This is Russell's second YC company. I still clearly remember the Demo Day presentation for his fi
I remember buying the first consumer drone, the ParrotAR, and having the terrifying realization that drones would eventually be used as suicide drones in war and terrorism. The problem is highly asymmetric, since drones are small and mobile and cheap. Having small and mobile...
- LinkedIn
From the sky to the seafloor, from the airwaves to the mine — we're backing the companies building America's next layer of resilience. …more
From the sky to the seafloor, from the airwaves to the mine — we're backing the companies building America's next layer of resilience. …more