The Secret Town in Texas Saving America
In a Nutshell
Prototown, a 12,200-acre ranch halfway between Austin and San Antonio, Texas, founded by Josh and Merl, attracts hardware startups to build a reindustrialized "new Detroit" or "Texan Shenzhen" with cheap land, fewer rules, and a collaborative pioneer community living in trailers amid factories-in-progress. Key projects include Evan's Atmos solar-powered AC panels that eliminate compressors for efficient cooling, Zach's Eden Technologies centrifuge for low-energy desalination, and Bedrock Robotics' autonomous excavators, all fostering a cult-like "capitalist commune" vibe. Founders emphasize Texas's mechanical spirit and long-term vision to revive American manufacturing, with rapid progress like Oklo's nuclear reactor and semiconductor setups proving its legitimacy despite hardware's delays.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Prototown is ranch land located halfway between Austin and San Antonio, Texas. It aims to be the birthplace of a revolution and a new age hardware utopia. Founders summon people to make things with plentiful cheap land and fewer rules, offering spots for startups and factories. They aspire to create a new Detroit, Los Alamos, or Shenzhen.
The man who started it is Josh. Josh went to Duke, built hardware there, and after college decided people like him needed a place for big ideas. He recruited fellow Duke alum and best friend Merl. Josh pitched the concept in boardrooms but found little buzz, so he converted a bus into a 50s VW-style bus and went on a 60,000-mile journey around the US to sell his vision, like the Merry Pranksters focused on reindustrialization.
In Lockhart, Texas, halfway between Austin and San Antonio, heading to secretive Prototown for the first outsider look. It's a 12,200-acre compound with people living in ConX trailers, startups working on projects, and foundations laid for factories, all drenched in America-can-do-big-things propaganda.
Engaged in Texan ritual of eating barbecue with founders Josh, Merl, and John, the only real Texan. Founders express gratitude for the ranch experience and learning. Early pioneers convince families to move to this unknown ranch for building a hardware cluster. Once there, they realize they can get stuff done with open spaces and no interference. Prototown helps with networking and growth.
It sounds pretty ridiculous on paper. It's hard to build a city.
People coming here have innate curiosity, fostering a cool community. Crucial to foster founding culture from the beginning.
Come on. Come on. Don't worry. Don't fret. What are you waiting for? Come down to Prototown. We got housing. We got land. We got startup capital. Work on something absolutely crazy.
Josh seems chill and well-meaning. Showed his college two-stage rocket model, built remotely across the country over a year, reached Mach 6, aimed for Karman line, featured in Adrenaline story with a bro snapback hat photo.
Inflatable factory serves as first center of gravity. People work day and night, many live on grounds.
Evan moved April 1st. Prototypes look like solar panels using heat from sun with thin layers of endothermic cooling reactions that charge like a battery and release cooling. Cold air comes out of panels for buildings, houses, warehouses, data centers, military. Will air condition Prototown buildings. Produces 10 panels per day to cool entire building. Traditional AC: 90-95% energy for compressor, 5-10% for fans. Removes compressor energy, uses small solar panels for fans/motors. Panels last 20 years with no maintenance. Planning manufacturing plant on site for thousands per day in next 6 months.
Zach from Eden Technologies developing massive centrifuge for desalinization and water purification. Past 5-6 years designing large commercial versions for seawater, brackish groundwater, manufacturing wastewater (oil/gas, laundry). More clean water for less energy/money. Test hardware on site, tap nearby stream. Sleep next to centrifuge.
Capitalist commune.
Eden and Atmos among several startups based here. Bedrock Robotics tests autonomous construction equipment: sensor system retrofits excavators; operator minds store while robot excavates.
Main house once slated for demolition for subdivision that collapsed; Prototown took over. Pioneers gather for lunch, feel like family, all struggling/building/helping. Conversations about fundraising/design. In Austin, hard tech folks isolated; here, running alongside people in same boat. Informal process, no application, selects right people. Keep frontier campus-like. Connected to landscape: oak groves, swimming hole built by Bedrock in off time.
Texas chosen for mechanical inclination, intuitive hardware understanding. Started as cattle ranch, added Oppenheimer billboard, drew people. Los Alamos analogy: town for science frontier.
Shenzhen: fishing village turned manufacturing city in 1980s, now 20 million people, world manufacturing hub in 45 years. Prototown needs labor/capital; flanked by Austin/San Antonio, central Texas booming. Elon Musk building factories in nearby Bastrop. Reminds of young Mojave, California: hours from LA, place for airplane/space testing. Could be Texan hardware experimentation zone. Dreaming of factories, jobs, revitalized America.
Building something like this in America just feels really important as a story... we can do these kinds of things again and do it at scale.
Prototown as prototype: prototype hardware ecosystem that looks like a town, not real estate first.
John, Texas politician and closest neighbor with hell of a compound, provides adult supervision, bought into vision.
Talked to all these people around the US who want to bring manufacturing back... why can't it be that Elon's the only guy who's figured this out?
Lost generation of manufacturing, craftsmen (woodworking, welding). Inspire by showing it's possible. People want to do it; give opportunity.
Hung upside down in a plane with John for perspective.
Best startups are cults. Texas as cult: independent country 1836-1845, mythology of independence/ruggedness. Cults can go wrong: David Koresh, Branch Davidians near Waco, 1993 51-day standoff ended horrifically.
Lighter side: Buc-ee's, Disneyland of gas stations, full of jerky, clothes, objects, knickknacks.
The big decision for any cult then is do you choose the path of polygamy and death or do you choose the path of freshly sliced brisket?
Everything takes longer than expected, especially hardware. Aim for ambitious stuff like room temperature superconductor, but be willing to suffer more. Long time horizon project.
Prototown more legit than expected, right vibes, interesting people making stuff. In months since visit: well-funded nuclear startup Oklo building research reactor for isotopes; semiconductor startup set up. Far more progress than expected. Not sure if US has people/will for Texan Shenzhen, but worth finding out.
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