Tampa entrepreneur creates online payment and profile system for drone pilots • St Pete Catalyst
Bobby Quinn officially launches today its alpha phase for an online platform that allows drone pilots to display and sell their content behind a paywall.
Quinn, who is a drone pilot and served in the military for 13 years and two years as an entrepreneur, formed the PayPixel company in 2018. The plan was to create a double-sided wallet and paywall system for drone pilots, where they could share and sell their 3D images and models.
PayPixel. Corporate photo.
“When I came out of the military, I was in the reserve and had the option of starting my own aerial drone business. Two years later, I realized that the drone companies were taking over and I couldn’t compete with them anymore, ”Quinn said.
He flew drones for the US Navy’s special surveillance program.
“I have known the problems that other aerial photographers face. It’s such a mess, and pilots use six or more apps to troubleshoot and connect with clients. I wanted to make it easier for pilots to create really cool professional portfolios and be able to share them on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, ”said Quinn.
“Today, if I post a video as a creator, I have to think about where this video is shared and the responses. However, there is an interrupted process, it is difficult to respond to potential customers to move on. an order. We are creating a place where pilots can upload their videos in one place. ”
Today, aerial photography captured by drones is commonly used for roads, mapping and real estate. Drone pilots typically use Dropbox or Google Drive to share footage with customers; However, Quinn said its platform keeps track of a pilot’s transactions and a customer’s previous orders. There is also a messaging system for pilots and consumers to discuss orders or quotes for projects.
CEO Bobby Quinn is hiking with the two people who could become the co-founders of PayPixel.
“We’ve talked to the pilots about what’s going to work, where they’re going, and we’ve validated our product,” Quinn said.
PayPixel is a member of Embarc Collective in Tampa. The company has a total of seven members, including the co-founders. Quinn wrote an article on how he met the two co-founders while hiking in Denver.
To date, PayPixel, which has already changed its name, has raised $ 300,000. Once the business starts generating revenue, Quinn said he would like to raise a few million dollars and grow the team.
PayPixel has 400 pre-registered users.
There are two fees for the platform – a platform fee and a transaction fee.
PayPixel estimates that it will generate $ 980 per year per pilot if there are an average of four orders per month.
The 12 month goal is to have 1,200 active pilots and generate $ 1 million in annual revenue.
