I am building VTOL prototypes from scratch, on the way to founding an eVTOL startup focused on the best vehicles of any kind for personal use.
Current progress is:
[v0.2 3D printed long range VTOL] Designed, built and flew a VTOL capable of 130 miles of range, all in 90 days.
Reid Hoffman called my project “superagency in action” and compared it to the Wright Brothers’s work pioneering powered flight!
My video went viral on X:
And MSN said “while commercial drone makers spend millions on R&D, this guy in his workshop just showed them up.” That one’s for mom, MSN is still a top 4 news site in the US (!) and top 70 site globally with 500M monthly visits.
Maiden transition flight success in about 80 days:
Capable of 3 hours of endurance, one of the world’s longest in a 3D printed VTOL:
First hover test within 50 days of starting the project:
Previous VTOL and avionics projects:
[v0.1 foam VTOL] Successful transition flight within 100 days
[v0.0 copter avionics stack] Depth vision obstacle avoidance
I think now is an incredible time to build the new industrial giants of the 21st century. We have a generational opportunity ahead of us.
Background
I am a generalist repeat founder.
I built two bootstrapped mission-driven food logistics startups straight out of undergrad whilst living in Sydney. I did some startup consulting before landing in San Francisco to join Uber Eats doing UX research and helping start a skunkworks.
After leaving to build mission-driven startups again, I started diving into the frontier of technology in energy storage, electric propulsion, materials, autonomy and more. This blog started as the sharing (and self-accountability) for that process. I’ve made it to the top 5 links on Hacker News multiple times, including #2 for the entire day of 6-10-25 for my VTOL build. I was also a venture partner for a stint with Collab Fund and Juniper VC sourcing early stage hard tech deals.
I also love learning, and learning fast. By the age of 12, I had speed-ran math through Grade 12. After I left my job at Uber, I taught myself to code an MVP mobile app in React Native in two months. And of course, I’ve recently finished designing, building and flying my long range VTOL in a short period of time.
If you’re also interested in building at the convergence of aviation and mobility, connect on X, Youtube, LinkedIn or email me.
