Alex Taylor has been working since high school to realize a dream of revolutionizing aircraft. He envisions a world in which electric-powered orbs can take off like helicopters, travel like planes and quickly deliver humanitarian relief to the far reaches of the globe.
His dream got a big boost recently when he was named a Thiel Fellow. Created by Peter Thiel, an entrepreneur and co-founder of PayPal, the Thiel Fellowship is intended to encourage young adults to develop new businesses and technologies.
“Essentially, [he] wanted to empower the youngest generation to change the world,” Taylor says. “It really is an honor to be selected.”
The fellowship not only provides $100,000 over two years – which Taylor is putting into his company Orb Aerospace – but it also gives him access to new capital and mentorship opportunities. “It gives Orb Aerospace and the community of Lowell a platform to stand on,” the 21-year-old says.
Fellowship Program Supports Innovation
The first Thiel Fellowships were awarded in 2011, at which time the program was known as the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship. Today, anyone age 22 or younger can apply for the fellowship although fellows must agree to drop out of school for two years while working on their project.
Taylor is one of 23 people selected for the most recent class of Thiel Fellows. While the program attracted several hundred applications in its first year, that number has reportedly grown to thousands in recent years. Only a fraction of a percent of those who apply are chosen to participate.
“This class was selected from the greatest number of applications we have ever received,” said Allyson Dias, director of the Thiel Fellowship, in a press release.
Only Taylor and one other individual from Chicago were selected from Midwest applicants. The Bay Area of California is heavily represented, but fellows hail from all parts of the globe including South Korea, United Kingdom, Mexico, Sweden and Chili.
“This class of fellows breaks ground in new technologies across multiple industries,” said Jimmy Kaltreider, executive director of the Thiel Foundation, in a press release. “They join 228 fellows from previous classes who have pioneered crypto currency, extended longevity research, advanced self-driving cars, created new consumer products, and built solutions to environmental challenges.”
For Taylor, the opportunity to network with other young entrepreneurs is one perk of being a Thiel Fellow. “As a very young founder, it can get very lonely,” he says.
Investing in the Community
Orb Aerospace has grown by leaps and bounds since Taylor first began working on the project in high school. His staff has tripled in size and now has approximately 13 people on its team. Taylor expects that number to triple again this year and notes that they have had no shortage of applicants for open positions.
“We have this unique culture,” Taylor says. The Orb Aerospace workspace is governed by five rules, one of which is a commitment to sacrificial love. Growing up in a missionary family, Taylor values providing service to others and one of his hopes for Orb Aerospace is that it will improve the process of providing humanitarian aid after disasters.
While cash from the Thiel Fellowship will be helpful, Taylor has already raised more than a million dollars for his company on his own and has landed government contracts. What’s more, his business has invested $150,000 into improvements at the Lowell Airport, where Orb Aerospace has its home base.
“We want to put the Lowell City Airport on the map,” Taylor says. He is currently working to sign a 10-year lease with the City of Lowell that will allow his company to continue to call Lowell home.
At the same time, he understands that some people might worry he is trying to build an industrial behemoth on the site, but he says that’s not his ambition. Instead, he wants to put Lowell on the map as a pioneer in the field of aviation.
That may not be an unrealistic goal either. Already, Taylor has demonstrated to the Navy in Hawaii and presented to the deputy secretary of defense in Detroit. Now, he apparently has the attention of the Thiel Foundation as well. Stay tuned to see what happens next for this start-up that is looking to usher in the world’s next generation of aircraft.
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