Episode 9

#9: Coffee talks with Mik & Trav - Building the AF100 drone

Episode 9 of Growing For It - Coffee Talk #5 with Mik & Trav

Mikkel and Travis discuss the challenges and milestones of their hardware startup, Airflight, in the first half of 2021. After securing pre-seed funding, they hired key personnel, including an expert in carbon fiber. They faced difficulties in hiring skilled local workers and had to build a $50,000 carbon fiber oven themselves for $3,000. The team successfully assembled a large drone, which was one of the biggest quadcopters at the time. Despite initial success, a load test failure and a crash during the first flight test caused setbacks. They emphasize the importance of resourcefulness and the emotional impact of physical prototypes in their entrepreneurial journey.

Key take-aways:

Resourcefulness and Creative Problem-Solving

Faced with the need for a large, specialized oven, Mikkel and Trav converted a shipping container into a custom-built solution for a fraction of the commercial cost. This ability to find innovative and cost-effective solutions was crucial in the early stages of their startup.

The Emotional Impact of Tangible Progress

Watching the physical components of the AF100 drone come together was a profound emotional milestone, igniting their passion and belief in the project. Celebrating these tangible achievements can provide the necessary motivation to overcome future challenges.

The Importance of Safety and Structured Processes

The incident during the load test was a wake-up call, highlighting the need to take safety more seriously and implement more structured processes as they moved forward with testing and development. Embracing this shift in mindset would be crucial as they continued to push the boundaries of their technology.

Chapters:

[0:00:00] Closing the Pre-Seed Round and Moving Forward

[0:01:36] Hiring Challenges and Lessons Learned

[0:04:54] Building a Custom Oven for Carbon Fiber Parts

[0:09:10] The Emotional Impact of Physical Prototypes

[0:14:17] Assembling the AF100 and Preparing for the First Flight

[0:18:46] Safety Concerns and Leveling Up

[0:22:19] The Crash and Dealing with Setbacks

[0:24:00] Reflecting on the Roller Coaster Ride

If you wanna learn more about our "Founders" initiative, DM us on our socials listed below:

Mikkel on LinkedIn: https://growing-for-it.captivate.fm/mili

Travis on LinkedIn: https://growing-for-it.captivate.fm/trali