Soaring to new heights of innovation: Tidal Flight is revolutionizing coastal transportation
The Speakers:
Pranav Krishnamurthy is co-founder and chief technology officer at Tidal Flight, a Hampton Roads startup developing a modern hybrid-electric seaplane.
Krishnamurthy has strong industry experience in aircraft design and flight simulation from his time in the Flight Sciences division at Northrop Grumman and BETA Technologies.
At BETA, he worked extensively with the pilotable flight simulator and developed a constraint mapping methodology to enable pilots to safely transition the aircraft from hover to forward flight.
Krishnamurthy received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from Georgia Institute of Technology, where his research focused on vehicle performance, sizing, flight dynamics, and control of electric aircraft, helicopters, and eVTOLs.
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Mark Lau is co-founder and chief engineer at Tidal Flight.
Apart from co-leading the development of Polaris, he develops SHADOW, Tidal’s in-house software for aircraft design, simulation, and optimization.
He previously worked at BETA Technologies, where he developed the computational model for ALIA-250’s vertical lift propellers to enable VTOL capability.
He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech, where he conducted research on electric aircraft operations, flight simulation, and aerodynamics.
In his free time, he enjoys photography, running, and developing novel computational methods.
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Jude Augustine is co-founder and CEO at Tidal Flight.
Augustine is passionate about sustainable aviation, with industry experience at BETA Technologies (an eVTOL startup in Vermont) and research experience in electric aircraft design and analysis from his time at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
He received both his undergraduate and graduate aerospace engineering degrees from Georgia Tech.
Augustine was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, ran cross country and track competitively in college, and continues to run in his free time.
Tune in to a free webinar on Wednesday April 2 at noon to discover how Tidal Flight is revolutionizing coastal transportation with its innovative Polaris Amphibian aircraft — a modern, composite, hybrid-electric seaplane that reduces fuel burn by 85% and operating costs by 40%.
The founders of Hampton-based Tidal Flight will discuss their startup company during a Virtual Innovation Spotlight webinar.
Tidal Flight, founded in 2023, uses groundbreaking technology that makes sustainable seaplane travel more affordable and accessible, unlocking new possibilities for regional mobility in coastal communities. Tidal Flight is developing Polaris, a hybrid-electric seaplane that can carry 9-12 passengers and is capable of landing on waterways and runways alike.
The founders also will discuss how Tidal Flight's recent partnership with Tropic Ocean Airways will expand sustainable seaplane travel across Florida, the Bahamas, and beyond with 20 Polaris aircraft now set to join Tropic Ocean’s fleet.
With over $800 million in aircraft orders from seaplane and commuter airlines worldwide, Tidal Flight’s innovative approach is driving major advancements in the aviation industry.
The founders of Tidal Flight will share insights into their progress, including their successful testing of a one-sixth scale demonstrator aircraft, which has been flying since June. This milestone has provided valuable data and proven key design concepts, bringing them one step closer to making sustainable seaplane travel a reality.
Hear directly from the founders about how Hampton Roads’ thriving innovation ecosystem played a pivotal role in Tidal Flight’s growth and success.
In the fall of 2024, the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation awarded startup Tidal Flight with a Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) grant for $75,000.