JetPack Aviation is developing The Speeder, a personal flying motorcycle that can take off and land vertically and offer a fully stabilized ride that is pilot-controlled or fully autonomous. The Speeder is turbine-powered (not battery-based), with no exposed rotors, a claimed top speed potentially over 400 MPH, and refueling in under five minutes. The company positions the Speeder for near-term uses in quick cargo transport for emergency services and military before moving to the consumer market. JetPack says the $2M seed will fully fund the first full-scale flying prototype, including modeling, design, and build. The company is led by founder and CEO David Mayman and builds on JetPack’s prior work: an FAA-certified personal jet pack with over 100 mph top speed and suitcase-sized portability. That jet pack also secured a CARADA agreement with U.S. Navy Special Forces for short-distance troop transport. Jetpack Aviation is building the Speeder, a personal vertical take-off and landing vehicle described as a motorcycle- or jet-ski-sized jet-engine VTOL. The company claims the Speeder will exceed 150 mph, reach altitudes up to 15,000 feet, and have maximum flight times around 30 minutes. Jetpack plans multiple versions, including an ultralight model that may not require a pilot’s license, plus concepts for military and emergency-response variants. The eight-person startup has iterated its designs (now on the 11th iteration) and tested a 1:3 scale prototype, but has not yet produced a full-scale Speeder. Founder David Mayman has largely self-financed the company for about a dozen years; the startup has launched pre-orders requiring $10,000 deposits toward $380,000 vehicles. Management says the Speeder is at least two years from customer delivery and that the company will need to raise “tens of millions” to ship the design, while continuing work on autonomous stabilization and regulatory certification.

Total raised

$2M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Nov 2019