I couldn't help myself. I saw Chris sitting near the Techstars Startup Stage at Eureka Park at CES 2017, facing away from me & his super sweet bag caught my eye. It reminded me of a Beats Pill except it was twice the size & he was wearing it like a backpack.
The can in the case
"I gotta ask man, what's in the case?"
He smiled at me & presented the Fotokite. He explained how it worked & gave me some details about it. I was (& still am) genuinely impressed. Not only with the Fotokite, but with Chris himself. He's a seemed like a genuine, down to Earth guy who's easy to talk to. He didn't fly it right then but he said he would during his pitch a few hours later. I wished him luck & was excited to see what the Fotokite could do.
Waiting with the rest of the pitchmen/women.
Chris gives the pitch
It was absolutely worth the wait.
Fotokite in Flight
The Fotokite is a tethered GoPro Quadcopter Aerial Drone. It's super lightweight, easy to carry, takes flight in under a minute & you can learn to fly it in 30 seconds. It's also a fraction of the cost of similar drones on the market.
Chris explaining the tethered tech
The competition was tough. A lot of great pitches & machines were presented. After Chris' pitch however, one judge asked, "Can I buy one NOW?" & all the other judges nodded & laughed in agreement. That's when I knew it was in the bag for Fotokite.
And the winner is...
...Fotokite! Celebrates with the fist pump lol
Over $120,000 in prizes
Congratulations to all companies that were represented
Overall, CES 2017 was an amazing success not only for Fotokite, but for Techstars & everyone affiliated with this great organization. I can't wait to see what's in store for next year!
(All photography by TMJ Photography unless otherwise noted)
Here's a slideshow with more images from Chris's (Fotokite's) story.
For more information or to book TMJ Photography for your next event, visit tmjphoto.com or send an email to jr@tmjphoto.com.