Brett Northey, Founder CEO, ACE VTOL
For many, success is climbing up the corporate ladder. Starting from the bottom and working their way to the very top seem to be their American dream. So, they settle on one pursuit and follow the conventional cookie-cutter career path. However, going against the grain, some choose to have a diverse career path rather than conforming to one specific vocation. Such remarkable professionals believe in expanding their knowledge and broadening their point of view through diverse career paths instead of overspecializing in one area. Thinking beyond boxes, silos, or sectors, they weave together skills from different experiences in their career to gain new insights, tackle new problems, and serve in new ways. One such leader who is creating a ripple in the business world through his diverse experience and exceptional business acumen is Brett Northey, the CEO, and founder at ACE VTOL. “I read once that we all know what we want to be when we are 5, but life places us in a culture of comparison that takes 40 years to get back on track with. It is the confidence in what I know and letting go of comparison that has been the defining factors leading me on my own path to being an entrepreneur,” opines Brett.
The Beginning of Ace VTOL
The journey of Ace VTOL began when Brett decided to apply his extensive experience from aviation to the energy sector through blockchain with an atmospheric ion generator that he had developed, similar to the static units available in the current market. Applications for this ranged through various industries but Brett intended to circle back to aviation where battery energy density vs. weight was an obvious roadblock. A collaborative approach with both technologies offers a solution through inflight recharging, reducing battery weight with operation and infrastructure costs. But when Brett was in Balimid, way through corporate negotiations for funding, the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world and everything stopped. So, he decided to stay in Bali during the lockdown and focus on designing Ace VTOL as an application for this technology, independent of any third party, and called to arm some exceptional people. “I knew. It’s difficult to claim an entrepreneur title when in truth it’s the incredible team of people that came together to make Ace VTOL, in reality, it’s a great team that makes a great company,” says Brett.
Offering a Safer Future for VTOL Flight Management
Speaking of the current scenario of the industry, Brett asserts, “I believe we are experiencing an exciting time in the aviation industry with VTOL offering new solutions to a generally regimented sector. We have seen incredible technological advances in recent years and aviation is a bit slow on uptake due to safety precautions. Along with advancing technology, it’s the advancement of governance that needs to be focused on.”
Today, a lot of VTOL companies and related infrastructure are rushing to the market with investors’ money without proper regulations set in place. However, standing apart from the rest, Ace VTOL is focusing on being the safest to market rather than being the first to market. Its technology list is eclipsing, but it is the safety that is most important to the company. It delivers a novel solution through Blockchain asset management and certification to ensure that it offers a scalable and safer future for VTOL flight management.
Thriving amidst Challenges
Like any successful startup, Ace VTOL had to navigate through many challenges and roadblocks to reach where it is today. One of the major challenges for the company was to fund the start-up in an overly saturated market with established competitors that are steamrolling this new sector. But under the insightful leadership of Brett, the company thrived against all the odds to become one of the leading names in the industry. “We knew we had something special, something our competitors didn’t, and recognized the advantage we had through having exceptional people and, not being first to market. This allowed us to be more financially intelligent through observation with our combined team and advisory experience. I knew smart steps would get us there,” affirms Brett.
Aspires to Make Ace the Henry Ford of VTOL
Now, Ace VTOL’s vision is to deliver the flying car future that everyone is waiting for. Ace VTOL is assisting regulators to define this new area of transportation that is something of a hybrid of Automotive and Aviation but unique to itself. “Urban Air mobility needs to be accessible with the ease of use for everyone to be practical, and once this is achieved, it will prompt advancement in nearly every other industry. Our mission is to be the Henry Ford of VTOL and we have a strategy to confidently deliver,” adds Brett.
Steering Ace along the Most Environmentally Sustainable Pathway
Having a passion for environmental engineering, the avid entrepreneur now intends to focus on the electric VTOL industry. “It’s exciting that Industry is now transitioning to smarter environmental technology and there is a lot of discovery awaiting those that apply themselves. I like the adventure in that, and aim to steer Ace along the most environmentally sustainable pathway possible and promote technology integration that makes good economic and environmental sense,” concludes Brett.