AeroInnovate announces Drone Terminus, PreFlight Aviation Camp, Sonin Aerospace, TakeFlight Interactive and Tellus Aerospace as the 2017 virtual accelerator program participants.

AeroInnovate is an aviation accelerator program that operates under the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Business Success Center. The participants in this year’s accelerator will bring a new design, modification or services that may revolutionize the aviation industry of the future.

“AeroInnovate perfectly matches UW Oshkosh’s strategic priority of expanding community engagement and economic development,” said Steve Slocum, director of AeroInnovate. “Oshkosh is already a revered name in the global aviation and aerospace community and AeroInnovate is helping UW Oshkosh become synonymous with driving aviation development and entrepreneurship.”

More about this year’s accelerator participants:

• DroneTerminus was founded in 2016 by Joe McMillian and Mark Messina in Boca Raton, Florida. Drone Terminus makes an appliance that will receive and store drone delivered packages. It’s a smart, internet connected, drone helipad that can recharge, transfer files, and monitor a drone’s status while automatically receiving, storing, and securing packages.
• PreFlight Aviation Camp was founded in 2015 by Liz Duca in San Marcos, Texas. PreFlight Aviation Camp is for pre-teen and teenage girls with a mission to break stereotypes and inspire more girls to join the aviation industry. Classes are taught by female pilots who empower campers by relating aviation topics to broader life lessons.
• Sonin Aerospace was founded in 2016 by Curtis Foster in Atlanta, Georgia. Sonin created In-Flight Recharging System (IRFS) that allows Sonin’s Ranger drone to stay in the air for hours, days, and even weeks.
• TakeFlight Interactive was founded in 2015 by Brandon Seltz in Seattle, Washington. TakeFlight develops an interactive flight-training platform that provides virtual instruction on a variety of simulation hardware. TakeFlight leverages game-design techniques to drive engagement and lower time to mastery, creating safer pilots in less time at dramatically reduced costs.
• Tellus Aerospace was founded in 2016 by Russell Kirkman in San Jose, California. Tellus Aerospace has designed an acoustic liner that reduces the noise of the airplane’s engine significantly.

Accelerator program participants will be part of the 9th Annual Pitch & Mingle, which will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 26 at a private hangar, 635 20th Ave., Oshkosh. The Pitch & Mingle draws hundreds of investors and industry partners annually with a passion for aerospace and aviation. AeroInnovate provides access to capital, expertise and mentorship to participants.

About AeroInnovate: Founded in 2007, AeroInnovate helps aviation and aerospace entrepreneurs from across the globe start and grow aero-related businesses and bring related new technologies to the marketplace. The program goal is to facilitate the alignment of passionate, successful investors and industry leaders with the best aviation-related opportunities in the world. AeroInnovate is a program of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Business Success Center and is partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense – Office of Economic Adjustment. For more information on AeroInnovate, visit aeroinnovate.org.

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