Filipino-American Founders Establish AI Defense Tech Hub in Philippines

Three young Filipino-American entrepreneurs, who have established an AI-native defense technology and robotics hardware company in the United States, have set up manufacturing operations in the Philippines as part of their global strategy. Atlas Motion Systems, led by Christian Mochen, Tom Baron, and Carlo Dela Rosa, has invested an initial $300,000 to establish a PEZA-registered manufacturing plant at the Laguna Technopark in Biñan, Laguna. The 1,500-square-meter factory is currently producing 10,000 motors with an initial workforce of about 15 workers, and they project to ramp up production to 40,000 motors by the end of this year. The company has also secured an additional $11.5 million in funding from other US investors, including venture capital firms Greycroft and Also Capital. The founders are also negotiating additional debt financing for future manufacturing plants in the US as they expand their company and establish a global supply chain. US-based factories will focus more on technical and sophisticated automation, software platforms, and tooling orchestration across their production processes, catering to customers who require procurement from the US. The company's three co-founders aim to be a globally relevant business, targeting markets beyond the US. The background of the co-founders and their shared Filipino ethnicity played a role in their entrepreneurship, driven by frustration with supply chain issues in defense hardware manufacturing. Christian Mochen, 28, the CEO, experienced delays in sourcing critical components like motors due to over-reliance on Chinese suppliers during his tenures at Toyota, Tesla, and Shield AI. Mochen has roots in Mindanao, Philippines. Carlo Dela Rosa, 31, the Chief Operating Officer, was born and raised in the Philippines before migrating to the US. His father worked with Smart, and Carlo has a background in technical program management, cost control, and manufacturing quality from companies like Braincorp, Astura, and BAE Systems. Tom Baron, 26, the Chief Growth Officer, is of French and Filipino descent. He started software development at 16 and met Mochen at defense firm Mach Industries. Baron is spearheading the establishment of the company's Philippine operations and is responsible for the development of the AI software design platform for production line management. While acknowledging the challenges in production in the Philippines concerning cost and labor, they believe that "the Philippines has, in our mind, the perfect culture and process knowledge to manufacture exactly what we want, kind of in the same way that Taiwan dominates semiconductors." Their long-term dream is for the Philippines to become a leader in actuators, a vision they believe requires a 20-year plan. Source: Philstar Business