Startups on Fire — Firms under five years old
Winner: WingXpand
WingXpand is seeking to fly as high as the drones it produces. The St. Louis startup, since its launch in 2022, has notched several milestones as its continued to expand operations. WingXpand, which developed an expandable drone designed to fit inside a backpack, moved its headquarters in 2023 to Ranken Technical College as it formed a workforce partnership with the education institution. It's a move the firm says has helped meet demand from customers, which include the U.S. Air Force.
WingXpand's drone has garnered the attention of several government entities, with the startup in 2023 being named a winner of the U.S. Army's xTechSearch 7 technology competition.
What will the move into a new headquarters at Ranken enable the company to accomplish moving forward? As our production capacity and the demand for our products continues to grow, our expansion into Ranken’s Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center has proven to be a great match. The collaboration between WingXpand and Ranken allows us the flexibility to hire and offer internships to support our current and future talent needs from a manufacturing sense, while the students gain invaluable hands-on experience working alongside the WingXpand team to learn the nuances of drone manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance that they will carry on into their work in the aerospace industry and beyond. These types of joint efforts not only grow the local economy but also the U.S. manufacturing base at large, reshoring a skilled technical workforce with competitive compensation.
How is being headquartered in St. Louis a competitive advantage? WingXpand's headquarters in St. Louis gives it a strategic advantage on multiple fronts. Being centrally located in the U.S., St. Louis offers efficient logistics, reducing shipping costs and delivery times across the country as well as enhancing the quality of our customer support. With a lower cost of living compared to other major cities, it also offers affordable operating costs including competitive labor rates. The Midwest has a rich aerospace talent pool and customer base with several noted educational institutions, major employers, and government agencies driving innovation and implementation of cutting-edge technology.
The company been successful in securing military contracts. How do this factor into WingXpand’s business plan? Designing military-grade defense products from our core commercial technologies enables us to test our capabilities in the most challenging conditions and demanding scenarios. This is crucial for meeting the rigorous reliability demanded by both our defense and civil enterprise clients. As we expand our military applications, we continue to uncover new opportunities to strengthen our customer base both on the defense side as well as in close commercial adjacencies.
The recent conflict in Ukraine has underscored the growing importance and varied use of drones, prompting a significant shift in public perception and in current military strategy, in particular. The United States’ initiatives to bolster the manufacturing industrial base further highlights the strategic significance of rapidly acquiring critical technologies like ours. These developments are paving the way for new opportunities and reinforcing the relevance of our smart planes in both military and commercial applications.
What was your company’s biggest achievement in the past year? Our standout achievement in the past year was delivering our WingXRAI aircraft to the U.S. Air Force under a DoD contract and flying with their team on a military installation. WingXRAI is an 8-foot smart plane that expands from a backpack and has AI onboard to detect threats automatically, helping farmers grow more yield, emergency crews triage disasters faster, and gives soldiers a protective eye in the sky. It’s utility, portability, and ease of use represents a significant advancement in drone technology. This milestone demonstrates our ability to quickly develop and deliver cutting-edge solutions that enhance the important work our customers do. We are proud to contribute to the next generation of aerospace and look forward to further expanding our impact in the coming years.
Are you currently hiring? Yes, our current positions range from engineering and design to operations and business development, and we’re growing rapidly so new opportunities are added frequently. Visit the careers page on our website for more details. We look forward to hearing from those who are excited to join us in expanding what’s possible with aerial intelligence!
See photos from the 2024 Fire Awards event below:
