Software at Proto-Town (Lockhart)

Proto-Town· Lockhart·21h ago

Role details

Work type

Onsite

Employment

Full-Time

Job description

Help us buildout the OS of Proto-Town

Culture: Described as a “resurrected spirit of experimentation” with a “frontier” mentality. The environment is deeply hands-on, hardware-first, and driven by builders rather than software optimizers. One employee described it as “not just LinkedIn and fake buttons that you’re clicking.”
Work environment: On-site living is common (retrofitted shipping containers, old school buses, inflatable office buildings). The remoteness fosters deep focus and rapid iteration. Safety gets high attention (security checkpoint, emergency protocols).
Remote/hybrid policy: Not explicitly stated, but the nature of the work (physical hardware, on-site testing, nuclear reactors) heavily implies on-site, hands-on presence is required. Likely not remote-friendly.
Notable perks: Access to cutting-edge hardware infrastructure, proximity to elite founders and investors, ability to influence the physical build-out of an entire new town from scratch, and the chance to be part of a project that has been compared to the Manhattan Project in its speed and ambition.
Engineering culture: Direct, gritty, and high-autonomy. You’ll likely be working on real physical systems—robots, reactors, drones, energy storage—rather than web dashboards. The talent pool includes ex-Waymo, Neuralink, and Tesla engineers.

One-liner: Proto-Town is an industrial campus and startup incubator in Lockhart, Texas, that provides integrated manufacturing, testing, and R&D infrastructure specifically for hardware and defense startups.
Entity Type: Private (Angel stage, raised $20M)
Headquarters: Lockhart, Texas, United States
Founded: 2023
Founders: Merle Nye (Co-Founder, COO) and Joshua Farahzad

Primary industry/industries: Industrial real estate, hardware incubator, venture capital, advanced manufacturing support
Target customers: Early-stage hardware, defense, robotics, energy, and construction technology startups
Mission or purpose statement: To revive American manufacturing by creating a physical frontier where hardware entrepreneurs can build, test, and scale with fewer constraints—modeled loosely after the Shenzhen manufacturing ecosystem but rooted in Texas.

Industrial Campus: A 1,200-acre (485-hectare) ranch with machine shops, office space, testing grounds, manufacturing facilities, and on-site housing—all co-located to eliminate friction for hardware companies.
Venture Capital Portfolio: Proto-Town invests capital into select companies operating on its campus, pairing real estate with startup funding.
Development Agreement: Has a standing agreement with Caldwell County that grants it partial regulatory freedom in exchange for basic development standards, allowing rapid construction without excessive permitting delays.

Valuation/Market Cap: Not publicly disclosed (investor-backed, no public filings)
Key Metric: $20M total raised (seed/angel round closed mid-2026)
Notable Investors/Partners: Bill Ackman (billionaire hedge-fund manager), Josh Kushner (Thrive Capital), Fred Ehrsam (Coinbase co-founder)
Growth Signals: 12 companies are already operating on the ranch as of mid-2026, including Oklo (nuclear test reactor), Bedrock Robotics (autonomous construction, $280M raised at $1.75B valuation), Dynamo (large drones), Terran Robotics (robotic home construction), Base Power (energy storage), and Atmos Thermal Systems (solar cooling panels). The company has grown from ~20 employees in early 2025 to a small but growing team; LinkedIn data shows 4 employees at the parent company level but the broader campus ecosystem is much larger.

Physical co-location moat: Unlike software accelerators (e.g., Y Combinator), Proto-Town puts machine shops, testing grounds, power infrastructure, housing, and office space directly adjacent—so hardware companies can iterate at “Manhattan Project-era speed.”
Regulatory flexibility: The signed development agreement with Caldwell County grants a unique ability to build and modify infrastructure without typical red tape, a key edge over urban tech hubs like the Bay Area or even California Forever.
Critical mass of hardtech talent: Attracts founders and engineers from Waymo, Neuralink, Tesla, and other elite hardware companies, forming a dense community of builders rather than software “button clickers.”
Self-selecting culture: The isolated ranch environment filters for serious, hands-on founders willing to live in shipping containers and work on physical prototypes—impossible to replicate in a city.

Expand campus infrastructure: Continue constructing test reactors, drone runways, robotic construction sites, and housing to attract more hardware startups.
Broaden venture portfolio: Deploy remaining capital from the $20M fund into more resident startups, while likely seeking additional fundraises.
Strengthen political relationships: Leverage local government connections (Texas House Rep. John Cyrier is a partner) to maintain regulatory flexibility and fend off potential future community backlash.
Catalyze US manufacturing revival: Position Proto-Town as a template for how to bring hardtech manufacturing back to America, potentially inspiring similar projects in other states.

Sources