Russell Smith

Founder and operator of a mission-driven defense startup focused on field-ready AI weapon systems: Russell Smith is a founder and the CEO of 9 Mothers, a YC-backed Austin company building autonomous counter-drone systems intended for real-world deployment where existing solutions are insufficient. ycombinator+1

Builds for the defense edge with strict SWaP and real-time constraints: the company's technical approach emphasizes from-scratch modeling, low-latency edge execution (e.g., NVIDIA Jetson), sensor fusion across radar/RF/acoustic/optical inputs, and anomaly detection to address zero-day threats under tight Size, Weight, and Power constraints. ycombinator+1

Focused productization of a specific gap: the company's first product (EDDA) targets Group 1/sUAS threats—small, fast, often autonomous suicide drones—and is described as deployable on vehicles, bases, or carried by personnel to stop threats others fail to stop. ycombinator

Active in the startup and investor community: Russell publicly identifies as involved in the startup ecosystem (YC P26 founder) and lists prior affiliations and investor roles, indicating engagement with both building and investing activities in tech startups. nitter+1