The Alef Model A and the future of flying cars with Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny | E1929
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.2 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 11 April 2024
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This Week in Startups is brought to you by…
Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at http://www.vanta.com/twist
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Zendesk. The best customer experiences are built with Zendesk. Qualifying startups can join their Startup program and get Zendesk products free, for six months! Visit http://www.zendesk.com/twist today to get started.
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Todays show:
Alef’s Jim Dukhovny joins Jason to discuss different approaches to flying car tech (1:16), Alef’s vehicle design (9:17), commercial aspects (22:39), and more!
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Timestamps:
(00:00) Alef’s Jim Dukhovny joins Jason
(1:16) Alef’s mission and the different approaches to VTOL and flying car technologies
(8:25) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist
(9:17) Alef’s approach to vehicle design and use of existing technologies in a new format
(12:10) Technical details of Alef’s vehicle design, including propulsion systems and structural innovations
(14:27) Challenges of designing flying vehicles that function both as cars and aircraft
(21:11) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups
(22:39) Commercial aspects, including pricing, customer pre-orders, and manufacturing plans
(26:13) Regulatory and certification challenges and the potential timeline for bringing the product to market
(32:46) Zendesk - Get six months free at http://www.zendesk.com/twist
(34:16) Ballistic parachute systems in drones, planes, and Alef’s vehicles
(38:53) The long-term vision for autonomous flying cars
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Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtzuL3WSiGY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gzdo107SmE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBCUQlF3MMU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxaFFuN1vpc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT4buS7avd4
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Follow Jim:
X: https://twitter.com/AlefAeronautics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimdukhovny
Check out Alef: https://alef.aero
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Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
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Thank you to our partners:
(8:25) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist
(21:11) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups
(32:46) Zendesk - Get six months free at http://www.zendesk.com/twist
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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | If you tell me today to put in our car which we have today physically, |
| 0:04.0 | a human and fly the human autonomously somewhere, we can already do it. |
| 0:09.0 | The technology is completely them. |
| 0:10.0 | We have all the software, we have all the hardware, but we don't do it because there is absolutely no pasta certification, zero. |
| 0:17.0 | So technology revise, it completely not dependent on us because we can literally fly today. |
| 0:23.4 | This week in startups is brought to you by |
| 0:27.2 | Vanta. |
| 0:28.8 | Compliance and security shouldn't be a dealbreaker for startups to win new business. |
| 0:34.4 | Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a sock to report fast. |
| 0:39.8 | Twist listeners can get a thousand dollars off for a limited time at vanta.com slash twist. |
| 0:48.0 | LinkedIn ads. |
| 0:50.1 | To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, |
| 0:54.9 | go to LinkedIn.com slash this week in startups. |
| 0:58.8 | And Zen Desk. |
| 1:01.3 | The best customer experiences are built with Zen Desk. The best customer experiences are built with Zen Desk. |
| 1:05.0 | Qualifying startups can join their startup program and get Zen Desk products free for six months. |
| 1:11.0 | Visit Zen Desk.com slash startups today to get started. |
| 1:16.0 | All right, everybody, welcome back to this week in startups. |
| 1:20.0 | We've been tracking Vitalses vertical takeoff and landing vehicles for sometime on this program. |
| 1:26.9 | You probably are well aware of Joby and seen some of these vehicles that are currently in testing and that people believe we might |
| 1:35.7 | actually be able to take a ride in sometime in the next couple of years but it's |
| 1:41.0 | been a couple of years for a couple of decades. |
... |
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