eHour Speakers, January 15, 2016
Danny Ellis and Tom Brady
Bio:
Danny and Tom completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan between 2010 and 2013, both specializing in aerospace controls. In 2009, they founded the Michigan Autonomous Aerial Vehicles (MAAV) team which still operates today out of the Wilson Center. MAAV took first place in the International Aerial Robotics Competition in 2012. Taking what they had learned from MAAV about robotics, fundraising, and managing a team, Danny and Tom, with their third co-founder, Sam DeBruin, founded SkySpecs. SkySpecs develops autonomy and analytics software to make industrial inspections and other enterprise drone applications safe and easy. The company has raised over $3M in funding, is backed in part by the NSF, and is geared up to carry out thousands of wind turbine inspections in multiple continents in 2016. Danny and Tom have completed the Techarb program, a Techstars Accelerator in New York City, taken first place in the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition in 2014 for $500k, and were recently recognized in Forbes’ 30 under 30 for Manufacturing and Industry.