We make the world's most efficient aircraft
Active Founders
Graham Doig, Founder
Company Launches
Hi everyone, Graham here, founder at Seaflight Technologies. We developed an aerodynamic technology for any fixed-wing aircraft that makes it possible to carry more payload, over longer distances - perfect for electric aviation to overcome the limitations of today’s batteries. Our first product is a large cargo drone called AURAE.
BATTERIES ARE NOT VERY GOOD
Aviation is incredibly hard to decarbonize, and first generation electric aircraft are proving to be heavy, expensive, complicated, and limited in range. That formula has never been successful in the history of aviation. Could we just wait for better batteries? Not great - emissions keep rising, and progress is incremental - a few % improvement each year means a few % more range... What about better motors, or lighter structures? There’s a few % still on the table there too, sure.
But if you could double the aerodynamic efficiency, you could double the range that’s possible with today’s batteries.
Seaflight uses Aerodynamic Flow Control. It’s tech that suits today’s operations, manufacturing approaches, and form factors, and we’ve de-risked it to the point where it’s ready to fly.
CONTROL THE AIR
Thanks to over $2m in backing from the National Science Foundation, the US Air Force, and the Australian Government, we’ve been able to develop and test our Aerodynamic Flow Control - an active system that pulls more air over the wing when we need it (takeoff and landing), but otherwise adds almost no mass or drag to the aircraft (unlike adding extra propulsion).
Because we triple the lift only when we need it, we can have smaller wings. Smaller wings mean less drag in cruise, which means much less energy used.
This is key enabling technology to make electric flight viable.
Our upcoming large scale flight demonstrator will take to the skies over Australia in early 2026, with a production version to follow.
Best of all, this is universal technology. Every plane has wings… Seaflight’s tech can go on every plane.
HOW DID WE GET HERE
Will Sutton and Graham Doig founded Seaflight Technologies heading into the S22 batch. We originally worked on ultra-low-altitude “ground effect” flight. After 6 prototypes and a series of world-first flight achievements, we realized the numbers didn’t add up to viable economics. After pivoting to aerodynamic flow control and developing the new IP, including a test campaign at Caltech, it’s time to make the AURAE flight demonstrator a reality and break some world records for electric flight.
About the founder :
Graham Doig has a PhD in aerodynamics and has worked on electric mobility for 19 years, including 2 world land speed records. He led the aero/range team at EV startup Canoo, and was a Lockheed Martin-endowed professor of engineering in a past life, working on projects with the likes of Tesla and NASA.
Lastly, Asks 🙏
Do you know anyone involved in logistics that has already been looking at or using drone technology?
Do you know any wizards in electric or autonomous mobility who are looking for a bonkers new professional challenge?
YC Sign Photo
Hear from the founders
How did your company get started? (i.e., How did the founders meet? How did you come up with the idea? How did you decide to be a founder?)
Graham "Myself and Will Sutton built the first prototypes in our garages, this was before we even got into YC. Some bits of plane are still in there. We were obsessed with the idea that if you could make an electric plane just dramatically more efficient using aerodynamics, then you'd start to get the range that'll make it viable so much sooner than anyone expects. Then it'll take on that air of inevitability that happened with cars as soon as the Model S arrived"
What's the history of your company from getting started until the present day? What were the big inflection points?
Seaflight originally started out by developing “wingships”, ultra-low altitude craft that fly just a few ft above the waves for extra efficiency. After 6 prototypes and a series of record-breaking flights in Australia, the performance and market data wasn’t adding up, so the company undertook a pivot. With backing from the National Science Foundation and the US Air Force we developed our Aerodynamic Flow Control and immediately felt stronger pull from customers for our ultra-efficient cargo drone - one that can operate from any short airfield, anywhere. The Australian Government has funded our $2m project to develop a full flight demonstrator of our cargo drone by 2026, which will also serve as our first saleable product to early adopters in Defense and commercial operators.
What is your long-term vision? If you truly succeed, what will be different about the world?
Imagine a world where literally all short distance flight is electrified, quiet, direct, and low cost. Taking advantage of cutting-edge high lift technologies that we have government funding to develop, a much broader range of applications is on the horizon as we aim to be a global leader in large capacity drones as well as a high-value developer of key tech that can be used by every company pursuing electrified flight. We aim to show it’s possible *now* to cut costs, cut emissions, cut time, and cut worries globally with electric flight that is focused on extreme efficiency, not crazy complexity.