Austyn Crites, co-founder of Rockzip, has been studying “highballoon” technology for about 3 years. In early 2014, his interest officially became a business — and he has big plans for bringing Rockzip’s products to students and entrepreneurs in an effort to expand scientific horizons.
Here, he gives us an overview of the business. You can find additional details at Rockzip’s Kickstarter page until September 12.
Tell us a little about your business…
We make high-altitude balloons, also called “highballoons.”
These balloons can carry cargo up to an altitude of over 60,000 feet — several times higher than airplanes fly. Historically, these kinds of balloons have been used for weather monitoring, because they go through the layers of the atmosphere. They’ve also been used for testing of space equipment — allowing things to be checked in a near-space environment before they’re put on a rocket.
As another example, when Felix Baumgartner did his space jump in 2012, he was taken up in a highballoon – but it was large, the size of a stadium. Our balloons are small, and designed to carry cargo up to 6 pounds. And they float for up to 12 hours.
It’s our goal to get these into the hands of students and entrepreneurs — by making them financially accessible to people who couldn’t have afforded them before.
What sets your business apart?
Our focus is on making highballons that are both inexpensive and reliable. We’re bringing automation into an industry that’s currently very manual-labor intensive. So we’ll be able to open up a huge, untapped market by providing them at a less expensive cost — and they’ll also be more reliable. Our process is doing things similar to the way Henry Ford’s assembly line changed the car industry.
Small businesses present challenges. What are some challenges you have faced?
Of course there are financing challenges. And this is an industry that requires a bit of educating, both for new customers and investors. We have to explain what it is, how it works, and how it can be used. Of course, there are also technical hurdles that we’ve been overcoming. It’s not easy to build something to go up to those altitudes and withstand -50o and -60o temperatures.
Why did you decide to do business with Horizon Bank?
I live in Michigan City, and I talked to different people from the community about their banks. I wanted a personal banking relationship, and I got to meet a couple people at Horizon. I could tell they were going to be very supportive. I just felt that it was a place where I could go in and actually see someone. Plus, Horizon is not just a Michigan City bank, it’s truly a regional bank. But it’s located a mile from my house, so it’s very convenient.