Don’t Worry if the Sky Falls – Mike Pick, CEO, SkyFallX

What do you when you see your drone tumble and fall out of the sky?

Michael Pick is the CEO and founder of SkyFallX, a start –up company specializing in intelligent drone parachute recovery systems. Mike is a 23 year old graduate of Tennessee Tech University with a BS, in Computer Science and a Minor in Math. Prior to starting SkyFallx, he worked at the Naval Air Warfare Center in Orlando FL.  On this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Mike talks about SkyFallX, how he got the idea of creating an autonomous parachute system for drones and what it’s like to build a new company from the ground up. If you’re interesting in hearing about a low cost product that could protect your investment in your drone or want to hear about the highs and lows of creating a start-up, then this podcast is for you.

In This Episode

• [01:39] Introduction to Michael Pick.  Mike Pick is a 23-year old CEO and founder of SkyfallX (and the drone parachute system).
• [02:44] SkyFallx – How it works.  Mike discusses how the SkyFallX automatically monitors the flight characteristics a drone and deploys a parachute if the drone begins to fly outside pre-programmed risk factors.
• [04:04] The idea.  Mike shares the story of how he came up with the idea for SkyFallx, going to prototype and then starting his own company.
• [09:22] Consumer benefits.  The SkyFallx drone parachute provides piece of mind to consumers by protecting their investment in the drones and payloads.
• [10:50] Early attempts to market the system. First attempts to market the drone parachute came at Interdrone 2015, where the company was voted the 2^nd top innovative product at the show.
• [12:08] Going to Market.  SkyFallX is still a prototype, and Mike talks about the plans to bring the product to the mass market.  A beta test is planned that will allow some users to test the system before it’s distributed widely.
• [14:25] Lessons Learned.  Mike shares some of the lessons learned in starting SkyFallX, advice he would give to others and how things went in a recent Kickstarter campaign.
• [17:12] Product Installation.  Mike reviews the simple installation procedures for the SkyFallX parachute.  [18:00] Next Steps. SkyFallx will be seeking strategic partners to provide the funding to mass produce the system.
• [18:25] The Industry.  Mike shares his thoughts on the drone industry and the opportunities in the future, especially in the area of autonomous flight and deliveries.
• [20:24] Experience with SkyFallx. Mike looks forward to the day when consumers share their stories of their drone’s being saved by one of the SkyFallX parachutes.

Mentioned Links

• SkyFallX (www.skyfallx.com)