Startup Sessions: How e-kite is changing the world of airborne wind energy and why Steve Wozniak is their biggest fan.

Max ter Horst, the co-founder- of e-kite, tells how e-kite is changing the world of airborne wind energy and stresses the importance of building your product and team lean and mean.

Not many entrepreneurs can say they received a compliment from Apple-legend Steve Wozniak, but Max ter Horst is among the few lucky ones. As Global Winner, Best Startup at the Talent Unleashed Awards 2017 he was invited to a three hours lunch with the Silicon Valley legend. It is not entirely surprising that the Master gave his approval because e-kite is one of these technologies which seems to cool to be realistic until it’s proven not to be.

We asked Max about e-kite and the lessons he learned on the way.

I’m sure you’ve done this countless times, but give us your short pitch for e-kite.

“E-Kite is all about wind energy taking a flight. We do that by flying an ‘e-kite’ in the wind. In doing so, the wing is pulling the cable causing a wheel to turn. Energy is generated during this process at a 50% lower cost than wind turbine due to the elimination of tower and rotor. And there are higher yields as wind energy is harvested at higher altitudes. Next to that, our systems are mobile, making them easy to use in remote or temporary locations. Eventually, we want to go offshore, because this is where the most potential exists and because our systems can drive.”

Could you tell us something as to why Steve Wozniak was so enthusiastic about e-kite?

‘‘First of all, it was really exciting to meet him. He’s such a legend, with a clear vision on where we are heading as a society. He called energy production the key area for reducing pollution and he was impressed by our strong and experienced team, the potential of the technology and the quality of the pitch. He also praised our brave and clever idea for solving a real need, which of course was very nice to hear.”

About e-kite…How far are you in the development process?
“We are now in the proof of concept phase. We have a 50kW prototype on a test site in the Netherlands. The next period will be devoted to fully automating all flight procedures and increasing power generation. To do this, we constantly optimize the wing design and adjust the flight pattern, because how you fly also has an impact on how much power you generate. This all contributes to our ultimate goal: to build and launch the first commercial economically viable kite power system.”

What are the biggest challenges you will be facing in the next months?

“There are three things that any airborne wind energy start-up needs to have in place before it can successfully commercialize its concept. The technology should work autonomously- without humans interfering- the concept should be scalable and its cost of energy should be lower than any competing technology. We are constantly working to improve these three things. Meanwhile, we are offering the concept to customers in remote areas worldwide. By working with them on small-scale pilot projects, we can build up a crucial track record. On this basis, we can attract new funding and develop larger systems. Ultimately, we want to use our technology to go offshore.”

What’s the thing you’re most proud of in all the years of e-kite?
“Steve Wozniak’s appreciation was great, of course. But I am even more proud of the fact that we dared to change the concept a few years ago. We started with a system of surfing kites, so-called soft kites. We were able to get it up and running quite quickly, and within a year it produced electricity. The only problem with soft kites is that they last a very short time, after a week you have to replace them already. In the end, this was not a commercially viable model, so we decided to switch to fixed wings. That sounds simple, but it is not. It means that you have to have a launch system and a new ground station. But I am glad we dared to take that step. We now have a technology with real commercial potential. Taking this step was painful, but not doing it would have meant the end of the company.”

What’s the biggest learning lesson you learned along the way and that want to share with other startups?
“Test your idea or concept as early as possible In a small-scale cheap way. By testing easily and early, you can identify bottlenecks and challenges even before major financial expenditure is made. We used for example Styrofoam wings to test wing shapes and Lego to visualize our new ground station concept. It sounds crazy, but it was enough to find out that the concept could work, without spending too much money at an early stage.”

What other advice would you give newer startup founders?
“Stay small as long as you haven’t solved the main technological challenges. Too often I see startups that don’t have everything in order technologically, already scaling up their team. They want to grow up too quickly. Anyone who has ever built a house knows how important it is to first lay the foundation before constructing floors, floors, rooms, and the roof. Scaling up is the same thing: you can’t scale up when the base, your own foundation, is still cracking and squeaking like a wooden bed in its very last days. Let alone the fact that it is simply not smart to invest in personnel at such a time. In addition to money, you also lose a lot of flexibility. And that is exactly what you need when the foundation is still shaky. When we switched from soft kites to fixed wings, we were able to do that easily in the end. We were with six people and that made us agile.

It is easier to say to six people than to sixty: we are going to do it in a completely different way. So what you need in this phase is a small team of brilliant people, not a big team.”

Finally, do you also have a tip on how to put together such a brilliant team?

“Create a team of experienced people and youth/enthusiastic talents. Young people can come up with creative ideas to achieve breakthroughs. Experienced people can assess what works or doesn’t work before they bring in millions of euros. They see things that people who have just left university may not be able to oversee yet.”