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The crowdfunders have spoken: Doroni raises $3.5M to bring on flying cars

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
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By Nancy Dahlberg

Doroni Aerospace, the South Florida startup developing a 2-seater flying car, has raised $3.5 million through crowdfunding.

The eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle maker attracted the money in two campaigns on StartEngine.com, the second closing this month raising $2.4 million from 1,042 investors. In both campaigns, 1,956 investors participated. Doroni is one of a number of startups developing the quick and environmentally friendly mode of transportation.

Doron Merdinger

“We are just getting started and there is still plenty of work to be done. Our mission to make safe, efficient, and sustainable air travel accessible to the masses with the Doroni H1 eVTOL remains the same. We’ll keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Doroni Aerospace CEO Doron Merdinger, in announcing the news. The company now plans to launch fund-raising for a Series A round.

The Broward-based Doroni Aerospace was founded in 2016 by Merdinger, a serial entrepreneur with 25 years experience in design, manufacturing, and management. Merdinger, an Israeli, has lived in South Florida for over a decade.

Doroni recently released a video of the full-scale Doroni eVTOL prototype making a short untethered hover test flight. The company said it has completed 23 test flights with the aircraft, which takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter. Doroni’s Business Development Manager Yaakov Werdiger recently told FutureFlight that the frame is going through a full redesign “to reflect the level of safety that our customers expect and deserve from us” and the company is making minor changes to wings and ducts “to allow a better and more efficient aerodynamic design.”

Doroni plans to begin flight testing its planned go-to-market vehicle, the Dononi H1, by the end of this year, and hopes to secure FAA certification and launch commercially by the end of 2024.

In  interview last fall with Refresh Miami, Merdinger said that top of mind for Doroni is creating a user-friendly experience. “We took away all the complications and made it so simple to fly: basically pushing three buttons,” he said. “Once you start using [Doroni’s product], you will wonder how you ever drove a car.”

The company says it has 230 pre-orders for the Doroni H1, designed for personal use. Doroni Aerospace recently relocated operations to a 13,000 square R&D facility in Pompano Beach, where the company expects to complete prototype testing and development.

The two-seat aircraft, which will be able to park and charge in a standard two-car garage, can cruise at a speed of 100 miles per hour and has a range of 60 miles per trip. It’s expected to be priced at about $250,000. To operate one, customers need to have a valid driver’s license and complete a 20-hour training course provided by Doroni, the company said.

Doroni joins a crowded space, as dozens of companies are going after the all-electric urban air mobility market projected to soar to about $1 trillion by 2040. In South Florida, with some of the longest commute times in the country, at least five other eVTOL companies are circling the coveted market –  Eve Mobility, Archer, Supernal, Joby and Lilium. They all plan to launch air taxis, seeing Miami as a prime market for short hops, summoned like an Uber, above the region’s traffic congestion.

READ MORE ON REFRESH: Just look up! Doroni is building the future of transport high in the sky

Check out a video by Opportunity Miami here:

Photo at the top of this post is an artist rendering provided by Doroni Aerospace

READ MORE ON REFRESH MIAMI:

Nancy Dahlberg
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