Episode 53: How to build a deep tech company in aerospace from scratch, with Henry Bilinsky, founderCEO of MicroTau

Henry joins us to talk about his journey and experiences with surface science, engineering, and the US Airforce.  Timestamps 0:35 – How did MicroTau come to be? 2:08 – Henry discusses his involvement with InnoCentive challenges 5:16 – A challenge from the US Air Force Research Laboratory 6:26 – What is drag? 8:26 – How riblets found on shark skin can reduce drag 11:20 – Printing with light to create nano-scale features on surfaces 15:14 – Henry talks about his unexpected success with the US Air Force challenge 17:54 – Submitting a business proposal to the US Air Force 19:47 – The process of implementing the technology 22:13 – The carbon and cost savings associated with reducing friction drag on large-scale aircrafts 24:04 – The applications of MicroTau’s technology 27:18 – How the product will scale to large-scale surfaces 28:37 – MicroTau’s revenue model 30:35 – The process of approval in a highly-regulated industry 32:45 – MicroTau’s funding sources 33:30 – Support for start-ups in Australia 35:27 – What are some of the other applications for these riblets? 40:37 – Different types of surfaces and their applications 41:11 – Gecko pads 43:08 – Optical applications including visual adaptive camouflage 46:00 – Namib beetles 47:08 – What’s next for MicroTau? 48:48 – Growing the team 50:02 – MicroTau’s first active flight test this year