Across defense, drone, and robotics startups, a16z kept hitting the same snag: sourcing U.S.-made, ITAR-compliant motors and actuators at scale. China churns out over 30 million more of these components each year than the U.S., thanks to decades of investment in its electro-industrial supply chain. That reliance on foreign parts poses single points of failure for product lines—especially now that U.S. regulators have tightened domestic-parts rules for drones and China might restrict critical exports. Enter Westmag, co-founded by David Hansen and Jordan Sanders. Hansen showed up with deep, end-to-end knowledge of motors—from raw materials to winding machines—and a contrarian vision for reshoring manufacturing. Sanders brings the execution chops to turn ideas into a working factory. Together they’ve moved from concept to shipping in under a year, setting up a semi-automated production line in South San Francisco and hiring motor specialists, engineers, and supply-chain managers. Westmag’s first facility is already rolling out qualified motors for defense customers and actuators for the broader robotics market. They mapped every link in the Asian manufacturing chain, learned what works, then rebuilt that tacit know-how stateside. All while the FCC preemptively banned foreign drones and key components—including motors—starting December 2025. That rule forced every U.S. drone and robotics OEM to scramble for domestic suppliers at once. a16z led Westmag’s seed round because the timing and team align. Defense demand is climbing. Humanoid robotics budgets are swelling. And with regulations favoring domestic sourcing, the gap in U.S. motor production has become a glaring vulnerability. Westmag aims to fill that gap.