In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, Kite Magnetics founder and CEO Dr Richard Parsons shares his path from materials engineering researcher to founder of an early-stage startup, why he chose the aviation industry, preparing to showcase their first product at the upcoming Avalon Air Show in March, and more.
Episode guide
0:26 – Introduction to Parsons and to Kite, which is building smaller, lighter and more efficient electric propulsion systems for planes.
1: 54 – An engineering family, what drew him to materials science and engineering, and how atmospheric science played a role.
4:43 – What is aeroperm, what does it do?
5:12 – A description of how it’s made. “A bit like cooking.”
7:30 – Scaling up production from grams, interest from industry, the commercialisation process, and why licencing didn’t make sense.
10:56 – Meeting venture capitalists for the first time, why it didn’t go very well, seeking advice on entrepreneurship, going through CSIRO’s On Prime program, and isolating the use cases that were most likely to lead to commercial success.
12:50 – The mismatch between investors and first-time researcher-entrepreneurs.
13:20 – Why the automotive and drone industries were bad matches, but commercial aviation was the sweet spot.
15:50 – The climate change impact of the aviation industry.
16:43 – The first product they will be making and selling (and to whom.)
17:47 – Showcasing their first product at Avalon Air Show – a full-size electric motor for two-seater training aircraft, plus 2023 milestones.
19:04 – How Parsons expects electric aircraft to progress as an industry over the next few years.
21:55 – Total system efficiency is important when talking about the different options.
24:30 – The manufacturing question.
25:55 – final words.
Relevant links
Kite Magnetics' website
https://kitemagnetics.com/
MONASH SPINOUT BELIEVES IT HAS CORE INGREDIENT FOR ELECTRIC AVIATION REVOLUTION
https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/monash-spinout-believes-it-has-a-core-ingredient-for-electric-aviation-revolution
THE ONE THAT QUIETLY GOT AWAY?
https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/the-one-that-quietly-got-away
CSIRO ON, OFF SINCE 2020, NOW BACK ON
https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/csiro-on-off-since-2020-now-back-on
