Adding unmanned systems to a science and math curriculum has tremendous advantages for students, teachers, and the drone industry: but drones for STEM education programs are often too expensive for many school systems and may come without an easy-to-follow curriculum. COM3T Drones, a new company founded by an impressive group of ambitious high school entrepreneurs, is filling the gap. COM3T Drones offers a drone kit and in-depth online curriculum to go with it: one developed by high school students, for high school students. And at a price point under $500 for the package, COM3T is making drones for STEM education accessible.
COM3T Drones was the summer project for a group of high school students attending the Quarter Zero Entrepreneurship program this summer. As part of this year’s competition, the team built a comprehensive and compelling business case for a less expensive educational drone kit – one that included an online curriculum of topics covering basics like commercial drone applications, and progressing to the hard science of mechanical engineering and beyond. The business case was so compelling that the team won the overall prize for the competition: a $1,000 check and mentorship with VC firm 1517.
It was a good enough idea that the team decided to move forward with a company. “After gaining significant traction through pre-orders as well as validation from industry experts, we found that our idea had legs and we genuinely had the ability to revolutionize the drone education space, allowing COM3T Drones to fly from a summer experiment to a genuine company run by high schooler for high schoolers,” says team member Arnav Garg.
“Through countless hours of solving problems, the COM3T team could see that our product meets a genuine need,” says Nitin Jaladanki. “From pre-orders to YouTube views, we knew our company had wings.”
Arguably, nobody can communicate with a high school audience quite as well as other high school students: and no company is better qualified to pinpoint exactly what high school students will find compelling. In a time when educators all over the world are looking for new ways to engage students, drones in STEM education are ready to go mainstream. COM3T Drones could just be the perfect combination of inspiring startup story and great product to make it happen.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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