Westmag, a South San Francisco startup focused on drone motors and robot actuators, has emerged from stealth with $11 million in seed financing led by Andreessen Horowitz. The round, which the company says closed in 2025, also included participation from Founders Fund, Lux Capital, NFDG, Menlo Ventures and other investors. The announcement positions Westmag as a new entrant in the push to build more of the physical hardware behind drones and robotics inside the United States.
Funding and Market Context
The company, formally known as Western Magnetics Company, is targeting a component category that has become increasingly strategic as drones, humanoids, quadrupeds and industrial robots move from prototypes into larger-scale deployment. Drones typically rely on multiple electric motors, while advanced robots may require dozens of actuators to translate software commands into physical motion. Westmag argues that the United States has lacked sufficient domestic capacity for these parts, leaving many manufacturers exposed to overseas supply chains.
Building Factory 01
Westmag is ramping production at Factory 01, its headquarters and launch manufacturing site in South San Francisco, where it designs, winds, assembles and validates motors and actuators on an integrated platform. The company says it has already been working with high-volume customers and has a committed order book covering hundreds of thousands of units. Its manufacturing strategy centers on flexible automation, shared product architecture and repeatable production modules that can support a broad mix of customers and applications.
Supply Chain Strategy
The startup is also building a supplier network across the United States and allied markets, including Japan, while investing in upstream capabilities such as stator steel stamping and rare-earth magnet finishing. By bringing design, production and supply-chain control closer together, Westmag says it aims to lower cost, improve reliability and reduce dependence on component sources that customers cannot fully control. That approach reflects a wider reassessment of hardware supply chains as robotics, defense technology and so-called physical AI become larger parts of the industrial economy.
Investor and Founder Perspective
Westmag is led by co-founders David Hansen, chief executive officer, and Jordan Sanders, chief operating officer, who describe the company’s mission as building a high-volume American supplier for motors and actuators. Hansen said the demand for reliable motion components does not have to be met primarily outside the United States, while Sanders framed Westmag as an effort to create an American motor company serving global markets. Andreessen Horowitz investor Erin Price-Wright said motors and actuators form the “muscle” of physical AI and argued that domestic production capacity, rather than a marginally better component, is the core challenge.
The company’s launch comes as U.S. drone and robotics manufacturers face rising demand, tighter regulatory scrutiny and growing pressure to secure critical inputs closer to home. Westmag says it is hiring across manufacturing, supply chain, engineering, automation, sales and operations as it expands from its Bay Area base. If the company can scale production as planned, it could become an important supplier in a market where component availability may shape how quickly American drone and robotics companies can grow.