Drone Start-Up
Once the stuff of science fiction, drones are now a part of our day-to-day lives. These unmanned aerial vehicles have changed so many things and provide an exciting way for people to explore and interact with the world around them.
Drones can be so much more than just a recreational pastime, though:
The company believes that its technology can be used to help first responders at the scene of an accident, it can help corporations and governments achieve security at their most vulnerable points, it can help scientists to learn more about our world and to find ways of preserving it, and it can assist greatly with search-and-rescue operations following an environmental catastrophe.
With this in mind, xCraft is working to make its technology the gold standard in this still-nascent industry.
In just a few years, its flagship product, the X PlusOne, has garnered widespread acclaim for its precision, speed and maneuverability. Its soon to be released PhoneDrone Ethos can convert a smartphone into a flying vehicle, and will give more people than ever before access to this exciting technology.
The company has already struck a nerve:
Appearing on ABC’s Shark Tank, the founders were able to bring all five sharks in on a deal worth $1.5 million.
In addition, the company raised about $143,000 for its X PlusOne on Kickstarter, over $325,000 for its PhoneDrone Ethos on Kickstarter, and over $64,000 for the PhoneDrone Ethos on Indiegogo.
Its flagship product, the X PlusOne, has a host of killer features that have made it a darling among drone enthusiasts.
It’s perhaps best known for being the ultimate hybrid, capable of hovering one moment and zooming at speeds approaching 100 kph the next. But the X PlusOne also features:
* Autonomous flight plans that can be programmed through xCraft software.
* A loiter mode that keeps the drone in one GPS-defined stationary position.
* An auto-landing feature that makes getting the drone back to earth a cinch.
* Follow-me function that can sync to the location of a user’s smartphone.
* The ability to hook up with a GoPro or similar camera
This is a big market. When examining the present and future of the drone market recently, Goldman Sachs reported that the commercial market for drones is expected to grow to $20.6 billion globally within the next five years.
JD was born with a passion for flight. Building and crashing flying toys throughout his youth taught him much about the science and art of flight vehicle design. He once built a (mostly) functional hang glider at the age of 7 and convinced his best friend to test fly it.
JD’s passion for flight runs deeply through all of his pursuits. As a certified pilot, electrical engineer, airframe mechanic, and Designated Engineering Representative (DER) for the FAA, he has held key engineering roles at several aerospace OEMs and has founded his own aerospace consulting firm; Aero Designworks.
In October of 2015, JD and xCraft co-founder Charles Manning were featured on ABC’s Shark Tank, making history by negotiating an unprecedented deal with all five Sharks. This catapulted xCraft into the center of the public spotlight and made household names out of xCraft’s launch products; PhoneDrone Ethos and X PlusOne.
An aviation enthusiast, Charles was immediately excited about working with JD to help make the X PlusOne a reality.
Charles is founder and CEO of Kochava, a leading mobile attribution analytics platform company serving tier-one advertisers world-wide.
Beginning his career at Oracle, Charles later held executive and C-Level positions at M-Code, Managed Objects, and PLAYXPERT.
Prior to founding Kochava, Charles founded PLAYXPERT – which started as a gaming technology platform. After licensing the PLAYXPERT technology to Razer, Charles built a team that focused its time on building engagement platforms for entrepreneurs and agencies.
For the past 20 years, Kevin has been an independent consulting-CFO and founder in several start-up ventures, including aviation, mapping, and remote-sensing companies.
He is a CPA, and after his start in public accounting, Kevin spent many years in R/E finance, development, and banking.
He is a graduate of Boise State University, majoring in Finance and Accounting.
Nick Smoot of Mountain Man Ventures has founded and sold 3 tech companies. Now, as the founder of Innovation Collective and Mountain Man Ventures (VC fund), he is focused on redefining how cities participate in the global economy.