DARTdrones: Past B.E.T.A. Challenge Finalists: Where Are They Now? (2017 Series: Part 3)
Abby Speicher MBA’15 Pitching on Shark Tank
Do you dream of operating a drone? Look no further than DARTdrones. Founded by Abby Speicher, MBA’15, DARTdrones is a national flight school for drone pilots offering expert training, certification, and consultation throughout the United States for business, police departments, fire departments, and individuals. Abby won the graduate B.E.T.A. Challenge in 2015 and recently appeared on an episode of ABC’s Shark Tank! While talking to the sharks, she explained that winning the B.E.T.A. Challenge significantly helped to jump start her business.
Abby applied to the B.E.T.A. Challenge because she was only a few months away from graduation and DARTdrones was still in its early stages. Her hope was that with the $20,000 prize money, she could hire summer interns to help get DARTdrones off the ground. Today, her company has 12 full-time employees and 45 flight instructors nationwide!
When asked what she recommends to potential B.E.T.A. Challenge applicants, Abby said to “Stop researching and start doing!” After your business begins acquiring customers, any research you have done may no longer apply. As she put it, “The best way to grow is to learn by working with real customers.”
In closing, Abby shared that “The B.E.T.A. Challenge truly launched DARTdrones and gave me the courage to commit to DARTdrones following graduation. I really don’t know where my business would be without the B.E.T.A Challenge.”
Meet the 2017 B.E.T.A. Challenge semifinalists and finalists this April!