Canadian Explorers and their Heroes
History is not over
There is an idea that history has ended. That we live in an era after time, and exist in a world where nothing quite matters anymore. But this idea only justifies inaction. The world that we know today was built by people no different than us. The Internet needed the computer. The computer needed the vacuum tube, which needed the Industrial Revolution, which would have never existed if nobody had thought to grow their own plants. No invention was possible without its predecessor.
We have been served by the accomplishments of hundreds, if not thousands, of generations of unique human lives. The buildings that we live in, the shoes that we wear, the music we listen to, and the device you are reading this on.
A continuation of the instinct to explore.
Now, we hold the baton. It is our duty to leave the next generation of runners in the strongest position. Not only are we continuing humanity’s legacy, but we are laying the foundation. We look to history, as the future generations of builders will look to us.
For history is not over, we are merely a piece of it.
I asked ten Canadian defence founders to name the builder in history who inspires them most.
These are the Canadian Explorers.
Parth Mahendru - Prandtl Dynamics Inc. | Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749-1827)
Prandtl Dynamics Inc. is building the acoustic intelligence layer of modern security infrastructure.
“Laplace showed that complexity in our world is not randomness, but structure we do not yet understand. The belief that chaos can be harnessed through the right abstractions drives how I build.”
Bachar Elzein - Reaction Dynamics | Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Reaction Dynamics is building a sovereign, tactically distributed and responsive launch architecture for Canada — scaling small launch to medium-lift capability — strengthening national space access and providing resilient, allied deployment capacity across contested domains.
“I admire Beethoven for his grit, sheer work ethic, and relentless drive. As he went deaf, knowing it was coming, he feared losing his greatest gift. Urged to retire, he refused. He chose to go on, because nothing defined him more than his music, and his greatest works came after his hearing was gone. Above all, the Ninth Symphony.”
Ayaan Haider - AirMatrix | James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)
AirMatrix is building the intelligence layer for airspace, an AI platform that fuses sensor data into real-time awareness and autonomous decision-making.
“He unified electricity and magnetism through Maxwell’s equations, showing that seemingly separate physical phenomena could be understood as one coherent system. That idea of unifying different signals into a structured understanding strongly resonates with how I approach building real-time systems for complex environments.”
Hunter Scharfe - Juno Industries | Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Juno Industries is a defence technology company with a mission to re-establish Canadian dynamism by building a leading modern defence prime. Juno Industries is focused on developing and deploying advanced autonomous systems, AI-native command and control software, and persistent sensor fabrics to strengthen Canadian and allied national security, sovereignty, and defence capabilities by harnessing Canadian technical talent and innovation.
“At the moment of maximum danger, when every institution around him was counselling retreat, Churchill built resilience. He proved that will and conviction are as decisive as any weapon or resource.”
Josh Ogden - AVSS | K.C. Irving (1899-1992)
AVSS is building sovereign capacity for Canadian-designed and manufactured ground and air robots. No licensing BS. Real R&D investments for products that will keep profits and IP in Canada.
“He started his entrepreneurial journey in his 20s with an opportunity to grow a Ford dealership and expanded into a vertically integrated global business that employs and contributes to the Canadian economy.”
Paul Ziadé - North Vector Dynamics | J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967)
North Vector Dynamics is building precision, low-cost missiles to protect Canadian and allied skies.
“Oppenheimer left the ivory tower to build something massive that altered the course of human history - and not obviously for the better. A man of broad intellectual range, drawn to science, philosophy and religion, he ultimately had to reckon with what he'd made. I find complicated people like that fascinating and worth studying.”
Brandon Robinson - Horizon Aircraft | Kelly Johnson (1910-1990)
Horizon Aircraft is building a hybrid-electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft that will improve the lives of countless Canadians.
“One of my favourite builders in recent history is Kelly Johnson, widely regarded as one of the most talented and prolific aircraft design engineers in the history of aviation. He built several famous aircraft, including the legendary U2 spy aircraft and the SR-71 Blackbird, perhaps one of the most impressive aircraft ever made.”
Mike Nelson - TACTIQL | Margaret Hamilton (1936-)
TACTIQL is a Canadian, veteran-owned software engineering company that builds software that enables sensors, command-and-control systems, and AI to operate seamlessly together in mission-critical defence environments.
“Margaret Hamilton inspires me because she helped pioneer software engineering while leading the team that developed the flight software for NASA’s Apollo missions. Her work proved that carefully designed software could operate reliably in mission-critical environments and played a vital role in the success of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.”
Samuel Scrivens - Pelagos | Chris Hadfield (1959-)
At Pelagos, we’re building autonomous underwater systems in Canada, beginning with Vantage, a backpack-portable littoral AUV designed for agile, autonomy-forward subsea operations.
“Chris Hadfield inspires me because he made exploration feel tangible, disciplined, and real. As a kid who wanted to be an astronaut, he showed me that ambitious builders could come out of Canada and push the frontier forward.”
Daniel Sax - CSMC | Bruce Flatt (1965-)
CSMC is building nuclear reactors deployable to the most remote areas, on this earth and off it.
“Bruce Flatt, Brookfield - built a global champion business from Canada, with a mixture of discipline and hard work, seeing value where others didn't.”
If you're building something in Canada, I want to hear about it. contact@ethanmarcoux.com
A montage of the Canadian Explorers: