there are a lot of details I still have to learn. But from a high level, it’s really applying jet engine technology in the wind space. That is taking it to a whole new paradigm. It’s like going from a propeller machine to a jet engine, which increases the performance. That’s the benefit it brings to the table—an increase in performance and efficiency.
X: FloDesign has indeed been very guarded in what it has said about its wind turbine designs. Why all the secrecy?
LA: We are in a very early stage, and are still a startup company. We still have a lot of work to do. So I think when the time is right, we will definitely say more about the details. But right now, there are just a lot of things that we really don’t want to talk about. What we need to do now is look ahead. My days right now are filled with recruiting talent from around the globe—engineers and scientists who can help us commercialize this product. As we get more into the details, we can tell more, but right now there is not a lot we can talk about.
X: What stage is FloDesign at in the engineering and commercialization process? Have you moved from simulations to testing actual prototypes?
LA: Again, we are still very early stage, but we are looking ahead already. What I’m starting to do now is see how we’re going to commercialize this product. So the foreseeable future will be [dominated by] a lot of engineering work, taking the technology as it is now through design and engineering and actually making a product. Then, of course, the next step will be commercialization. As we grow and learn and get smarter, it will evolve. Right now the top priority is for us to build this world-class engineering team that can bridge the gap between the technology and the market.
X: Speaking of the market, I wanted to ask you about FloDesign’s competition. Do you think there will be a battle between FloDesign and manufacturers of conventional open-fan wind turbines, such as Vestas, or do you think demand for wind energy is growing so fast that you’ll have a wide-open field?
LA: I think it’s too early for me to say, but I look at it this way: the wind market has been growing very substantially now in the U.S. for some time, and also on a global scale. It’s actually getting so high on the agendas of many countries around the world because wind power, right now, is the only commercial alternative to oil and gas on a big scale. So I think the opportunity is out there, but may not in the conventional segments. I think the whole industry, as it is now, is still in the early stages. If you look ahead to 2020 and look at the demand in China and other parts of the world, the market has a long way to evolve. I think there will be a lot of things happening in this time, and also the industry itself will mature. So hopefully FloDesign will be a player in that. We look at it as a big opportunity, and we will find a space where we can compete.
X: The company just raised an additional $35 million in venture capital. What will be your main priorities for spending that money?
LA: The main objective for us for the next phase is really to design and engineer and commercialize the product, so what we are doing now is spending all of our resources on building that part of the company. We’re very excited about this, and the investors’ names speak for themselves—they are very prominent investors who have done this kind of thing many times.
