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Less than a year after their launch in April of 2022, the company was one of only 12 winners from a field of 600 competitors for participation in Techstars Los Angeles, the startup accelerator program working in partnership with the U.S. Space Force and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. They won a 2022 St. Louis Arch Grant. Women and Drones has named WINGXPAND a “Top Company for Women in Emerging Aviation Technology.” At September’s Natural Disaster Expo in Anaheim, they were named the company with the ‘Most Innovative Technology of the Year’ out of more than 300 participants.
The company is clearly a standout – and that’s because the WINGXPAND drone is entirely unlike most of the other sUAS on the market. It fits in a backpack – but the wings expand, turning the drone into what the company describes as a “customizable 7 ft autonomous airplane.”
“The U.S. made and patented aircraft combines the small size and simplicity of a quadcopter drone with the power and endurance of airplane wings, allowing it to fly 5x longer and carry 10x more weight than traditional drones, providing unparalleled, reliable aerial insights anywhere and anytime,” says the company.
More important than the awards are customers: and WINGXPAND says that customer demand is driving growth across a variety of public and private sector industries, including: agriculture, public safety, oil & gas, and disaster response. WINGXPAND is demonstrating for the U.S. Special Forces, and has received support from the U.S. Air Force.
“We are incredibly proud of the progress and momentum we’ve achieved in such a short amount of time,” says James Barbieri, WINGXPAND CEO and Co-Founder. “We’ve met so many amazing people this year and WINGXPAND wouldn’t be possible without them! A special thanks to our incredible team, customers, partners, investors, and mentors. If we did all of this in 2022, can you imagine what 2023 will hold?”
Read more:
- A Plane in a Backpack? WingXpand Joins Techstars Accelerator Program
- Drone Startup WingXpand: the Best of Multi-Rotor and Fixed Wing
- The HAMR: AFWERX Funds Further Development of Advanced Aircrafts Hybrid Advanced Multi-Rotor
- Mayman Aerospace Wins AFWERX Grant for Speeder Air Utility Vehicle, Ultra Compact VTOL
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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