Byline: Malana VanTyler Byline Josh Elijah didn't set out to launch a defense hardware company. But today, his scrappy, self-funded startup, BotBlox, supplies compact networking components to giants like NASA, Lockheed Martin, and the U.S. Navy. From a home base in the English countryside, his company bills the electronics that enable drones, autonomous vehicles, and battlefield systems to communicate, often from a 1-inch square of circuitry. BotBlox The Missing Puzzle in UAV Systems Militaries worldwide have ramped up investment in autonomous aerial and ground vehicles. However, small, lightweight, rugged, and jamming-resistant data links are uncommon. Additionally, large suppliers build bulky, generalized components that don't meet drones and unmanned systems' tight size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements. There was a need to fill that market gap in defense tech. The Department of Defense pushed for domestic sourcing. Moreover, reliable supply chains and engineers building next-gen UAVs struggled to find compact networking solutions to withstand real-world conditions. An Outlier in Defense Tech Large corporations dominated the defense industry. In that regard, BotBlox is an outlier. What started as a side project to support drone engineers now helps power the future of UAV warfare. “I didn’t plan to build a defense hardware company; BotBlox happened because I built what engineers needed, then listened harder,” Elijah says. To gain the trust of defense customers, Elijah had to overcome skepticism. “They love our products but don’t like that we’re not Cisco or Netgear,” he says. In response, he built compliance paperwork to prove reliability, created supply chain guarantees, and answered hundreds of technical queries through the BotBlox public forum. Elijah's company makes small, tough, drone-friendly Ethernet switches. He kept costs low without outside funding, rapidly released products based on customer feedback, and stayed focused on engineering quality. As a result, BotBlox remains profitable while doubling its revenue year over year. In 2024, the company made Deloitte’s EMEA Technology Fast 500 when it passed $2.5 million. Additionally, its parts launched aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2023. Robotics Hobbyist Turns Tech Entrepreneur Elijah's passion for electronic engineering started early. By age 12, he was building robots. He studied electrical engineering at the University of Manchester and graduated with first-class honors. After a brief PhD stint, he pivoted to consulting. He created a $500,000 electronics business on Upwork and earned the title of top-ranked electronics engineer in the UK. electronic engineering A project to design a tiny Ethernet switch for a robot inspection system gave birth to BotBlox. It wasn't his first attempt at entrepreneurship. An earlier Kickstarter campaign ended in a $64,000 failure. However, he stuck with the product idea. That tenacity resulted in orders trickling in from the likes of NATO and NASA. His father handled shipments while Elijah designed during his travels. Small Hardware with Big Value BotBlox doesn't just sell gear; it helps customers solve problems. Whether designing drones to avoid jamming or ensuring they operate at 40,000 ft, Elijah's hands-on guidance has made BotBlox a trusted partner, not just a vendor. That personal touch, combined with extreme hardware miniaturization, gives the company its edge. “Small is huge in this industry,” Elijah says.  As far as drone technology is concerned, an inch of well-built tech can make a mission-critical difference. A New Chapter for BotBlox Currently relocating to the U.S., Josh Elijah has plans to open a domestic manufacturing facility. His vision is to help the United States rebuild its drone supply chain and scale BotBlox into the “Cisco for drones.” With revenue on track to top $4 million and parts integrated into top-secret military programs, that vision is no longer theoretical. It's just getting started. Josh Elijah

This story contains new, firsthand information uncovered by the writer.

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Josh Elijah Is Building the Tiny Tech Powering America’s Next Drone Fleet

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