Trump's son invested in a futuristic startup that would produce robot soldiers, but the company was left with no money and on the verge of collapse.
Its founder borrowed 4.6 million dollars from the company to buy his estate.
The American startup Future Industries Fund, of which Eric Trump is an investor and strategic advisor, is facing financial problems. As the American channel CNBC found out, since October 30, the company's employees have not received salaries, and the company itself risks bankruptcy. The company was founded in 2024 and develops phantom-like robots, designed to be used in industry and war. The promoters said that the vehicles would be able to carry out patrols, transport ammunition and participate in combat operations.
Just this week, the Financial Times wrote that the startup is discussing with the IDF the supply of up to a thousand robots at a cost of about $150,000 each. They were supposed to inspect Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip, locate explosive wires and disarm traps. The company's founder, Mike LeBlanc, even claimed that he personally discussed the project with the Chief of the Israeli General Staff. Later, the representative of the foundation told the "Telegraph" that there were no official negotiations or agreements with the IDF, and the robots were not supplied to the Israeli army.
According to CNBC, back in 2025, founder and CEO Sanket Pathak took out a $4.6 million loan from his startup to purchase a luxury home overlooking San Francisco Bay in California. Pathak owns the majority of the fund's shares and is the sole member of the board. The workers began to resent the manager for borrowing millions of dollars from the company while it was experiencing financial difficulties. In August, the salaries were delayed by two days, now there are none left. The startup is trying to attract investments of hundreds of millions of dollars with a business value of 3 billion dollars.
There are also questions about the development itself.