A remarkable gathering of visionary state and education leaders, entrepreneurs and stakeholders held recently at Florida Tech’s Vertex Applied Innovation Hub made it clear the State of Florida is already an undisputed national trailblazer in the burgeoning field of advanced air mobility.
It was also quickly evident at the Florida Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Pitch Day that the state is just getting started on what it sees as a human-focused, game-changing addition to point-to-point transportation.
“We’re really talking about greater, better ways to connect with each other,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce Alex Kelly, who was making his second visit to Florida Tech since October. “At the end of the day, that’s what we’re getting back to: how to connect with each other, whether it’s for commerce and trade, whether it’s for cultural exchange, whether it’s just visiting with your family or tourism – whatever the case may be.”
The pitch day program on Feb. 13 was presented in partnership with FloridaCommerce, SelectFlorida, the Florida Opportunity Fund, the Florida Small Business Development Center, Space Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Tech.
The university’s venue, an ecosystem of innovation, collaboration and state-of-the-art resources, was a good fit to host, Secretary Kelly noted.
“It’s great to be back here again, just to see the rapid pace of what you are doing here, and really the home you are creating for innovation and collaboration and research and development,” he said.
Florida Tech President John Nicklow welcomed the group and applauded Kelly for his essential guidance. “Your leadership and support helped elevate efforts like this and reinforce Florida’s commitment to emerging technology sectors. So thank you,” he said.
The half-day event featured presentations from 10 high-growth companies advancing AAM, drones, uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), and dual-use aviation technologies such as platforms, software and enabling infrastructure.
Among them were two from the Space Coast: SafeSky Systems USA, based at Vertex; and Skymantics from Melbourne.
The companies spoke before a panel of state and industry leaders in addition to Secretary Kelly, including the presidents of Space Florida, SelectFlorida, CareerSource Florida and the Florida Opportunity Fund, the interim dean of Florida Tech’s College of Aeronautics, and special guest Charles Chi-Yu Chou, director general of the Taipei (Taiwan) Economic and Cultural Office in Miami.
In his welcome remarks, Nicklow said Florida, with its multimodal transportation infrastructure, first-in-the-nation AAM testbed facility and other strengths, is on its way to being national leader in advanced air mobility – and that Florida Tech is a cornerstone of that effort.
“Florida Tech plays a role in that ecosystem,” Nicklow said. “What makes Florida Tech particularly well suited for this space is our ability to operate at the intersections that matter most. We bring together engineering, autonomy, aviation, policy awareness and workforce development in one single environment.”
Already, Kelly said, 15 Florida airports have developed plans on advanced air mobility and another 15 are in process. The state’s Department of Transportation has an AAM implementation plan –another national first – and nine Florida universities, including Florida Tech, have AAM programs underway.
These unprecedented and future-facing actions such as the AAM testbed and implementation plan were spurred and supported by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he positions Florida to be a national leader in advanced air mobility.
Kelly said the governor and Florida Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue are ensuring Florida stands out as AAM gains momentum. “These are totally unique platforms that the state has,” he said.
Both Nicklow and Kelly spoke about the impact – and necessity – of partnerships and statewide collaboration to help power this AAM growth.
“Ultimately,” Nicklow said, “what makes this gathering impactful is not only the technologies on display but the willingness of leaders in this room to work together, align interests and help turn innovation into reality.”
