LOS ANGELES, June 9 — Mountain View technology startups Zee.Aero and Kitty Hawk are in the business of creating flying cars, and both are backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, according to a new report.
Zee.Aero was founded in 2010, and competitor Kitty Hawk set up in 2015; while neither are part of Alphabet Inc’s Google-related family, both have been bankrolled by Google co-founder Larry Page — Zee.Aero to the tune of US$100m.
Kitty Hawk staff originates from not only Zee.Aero itself but also NASA, Boeing, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and the 2013 Sikorsky Prize-winning Aerovelo team.
Company president Sebastian Thrum has been heavily involved in Google’s autonomous driving program and research arm.
That’s according to a Bloomberg report carried by Business Insider.
Also behind Zee.Aero is Stanford aeronautics and astronautics professor Ilan Kroo, it’s said; the company even launched some playful proof-of-concept gliders at the 2013 Red Bull Flugtag in Long Beach, California. — AFP Relaxnews
