Doroni Aerospace Raises $3.5M+ from investors, achieves milestone eVTOL flight tests
Doroni Aerospace has successfully closed its second crowdfunding round on the equity crowdfunding platform StartEngine.com after raising $2.4M from 1,042 investors and having to date raised a total of over $3.5M from 1,956 investors.
“Our mission to make safe, efficient, and sustainable air travel accessible to the masses with the Doroni H1 eVTOL remains the same and we will keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible,” said CEO and founder Doron Merdinger.
Before closing the campaign, the Florida-based startup released a video of the full-scale Doroni eVTOL prototype known as the H1P1, making a short untethered hover test flight at its 13,000 square foot R&D facility in Pompano Beach.
The company shortly thereafter announced that it had completed 23 test flights. Doroni’s Business Development Manager Yaakov Werdiger said: “The current prototype resembles our final product.
“The frame is currently going through a full redesign to reflect the level of safety that our customers expect and deserve from us. We are also making minor changes to our wings and ducts to allow a better and more efficient aerodynamic design.”
The H1 is on track to begin flight testing by the fourth quarter of this year, with plans to secure FAA certification and a commercial launch in the second half of 2024. It is a two seater personal eVTOL with an estimated starting retail price of $250K,000, which anyone can own, fly, and park in a standard two car garage. Customers will need a current valid driver’s license and completion of a 20-hour training course provided by the company.
The company has received 230+ pre-order requests for and recently relocated operations to a 13,000 square R&D facility in Pompano Beach, Florida, where it expects to complete prototype testing and development.
Doroni is supported by Space Florida, a state agency helping the company scale operations by providing land, facilities, and tooling. The company is also proud to have the full support of the City of Pompano Beach, as well as the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.
In January, Doroni signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with 3Points, a leading Canadian Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) operator to bring the H1 eVTOL to the Canadian market.
