From the future of flight to brand building, insight from Liquidity Summit 2024 | E1969

Aviation Safety

• Despite recent incidents, commercial aviation remains the safest mode of transportation.
• Increasing human involvement, particularly pilots and air traffic controllers, is becoming a growing concern.
• Sky Dayton proposes making full-motion simulators more accessible to pilots throughout their training.
• A new flight simulator offers an incredibly realistic experience, comparable to the best VR simulator ever built.

Joby Aviation

• Joby Aviation has developed an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft called the Joby S4.
• The Joby S4 is designed for efficient vertical takeoff and transition to flying on a wing like an airplane.
• The aircraft features advanced technology, safety features, and simplified flight controls, making it easy to learn to fly.
• Joby plans to begin commercial operations by the end of next year, offering quick and efficient transportation through vertiports integrated with Uber.

Science Ventures

• Science Ventures is a studio that co-founds and invests in brands at the earliest stages.
• The firm focuses on three specific business models: marketplaces, mobile and social media, and fast-moving consumer goods.
• Science Ventures typically invests at a pre-market valuation of $3.5 million to $4 million and phases their investments to reduce risk.
• The firm conducts smoke testing to assess consumer resonance within a six-month timeframe, focusing on products that generate immediate sales.
• The firm builds fandoms and entertainment companies that monetize through products, aiming to create tension and differentiation in the market.

Startup Advice

• Founders should have a personal motivation and a clear purpose for their venture.
• A strong sales team is essential for B2B startups, but compliance hurdles like SOC 2 can slow them down. Vanta simplifies SOC 2 compliance, saving time and costs.
• Products should be naturally social and evoke a feeling.
• Direct-to-consumer launches provide immediate feedback loops, but eventually moving into retail is necessary for fast-moving consumer brands.
• Companies should focus on creating products that go viral on social media to achieve long-term success.
• Partnerships with major brands should be phased in when the startup is ready to handle them.
• Startups should spend time in retail environments to understand consumer behavior and market trends.
• TikTok is currently an early platform with major scale and cheap traffic, presenting an opportunity for businesses to sell through TikTok shops.
• Single-person founding companies often fail, so it's important to have a co-founder with complementary skills.
• Founder secondaries are seen as detrimental to the industry and should be avoided.
• Daily data visibility allows investors to gain insights into what's working and make informed decisions.
• Preemptive investments are made when a startup shows a breakout moment to secure more equity before other investors get involved.

Speakers

• Sky Dayton, a partner at Dayton Family Enterprises, discussed aviation safety and the future of flight.
• Alex expressed gratitude to Sky and Mike for their talks and encouraged the audience to stay tuned for more upcoming content.