Born in Sweden and headquartered in the US, aviation and aerospace company Jetson has raised a $15 million seed round. The investment came from tech entrepreneur, futurist and transportation consultant will.i.am, and Global Angel Investors. Board Director Mr. Luca Spada and Senior Board Advisor Mr. Rikard Steiber are among the investors.
Also, famous rapper will.i.am will become one of the first Jetson pilots. Notably, the music mogul has designed and manufactured custom cars with futuristic features working with Mercedes-Benz, DeLorean and more.
With this investment, Jetson plans to launch its flying car – Jetson ONE, a personal electric aerial vehicle. In addition to this, Jetson plans to close a Series A round ahead of starting first shipments in 2024. Jetson is looking to expand its operation in the US market in 2024 and is evaluating several locations for its future US headquarters.
“I’m proud to be a part of the Jetson family a and support the company’s mission to democratise flight, opening the skies to all. Personal aircraft ideal for short point-to-point flights will soon be a reality”, said will.i.am, tech entrepreneur and consultant to automotive companies. will.i.am has designed and manufactured custom cars with futuristic features working with Mercedes-Benz, DeLorean and more.
“We approach Urban Air Mobility by developing and bringing to market eVTOL aircraft within existing legislative frameworks. This may be the biggest opportunity in aviation since the Wright brothers took flight. Today, there is an existing market that is a profitable business for a single seat recreational aircraft. We are starting the first shipments already next year and will open our A-round soon to accelerate our growth.”, said Stephan D’haene, Jetson CEO.
“Jetson is on a mission to redefine the future of air mobility and transportation. We are enabling new and exciting ways of travel which will solve many problems, ultimately making our cities a much better place to live. I think the US market is a great opportunity for Jetson”, said Tomasz Patan, co-founder and CTO who will be making the first US test flights in October.
Jetson ONE: Commercial eVTOL
Jetson was founded by Tomasz Patan and Peter Ternström in 2017 to make everyone a pilot. The deliveries of this flying car are slated to start as soon as 2024. Jetson already sold over 300 Jetson ONE units at $98,000 per vehicle.
It is the first-of-its-kind commercially available eVTOL. You don’t require a pilot’s licence; instead, Jetson provides comprehensive training through a two-day course. The Jetson ONE eVTOL features a lightweight aluminium space frame inspired by race cars and a Carbon-Kevlar composite body. Its intuitive joystick controls and flight computer ensure easy learning in just minutes.
This aircraft is driven by eight electric motors, offers a 20-minute flight time at a top speed of 102 kilometres per hour, and operates on high-discharge lithium-ion batteries. It can accommodate a pilot weighing up to 95kg, with swappable battery canisters that recharge in less than an hour.
Currently, Jetson operates a beautiful R&D and production facility in Arezzo, Tuscany. The HQ’s private airfield south of Florence combines an industrial facility and an 800-metre airstrip perfect for daily flight testing. The airport is also the home to a customer experience centre, and pilot school.
