Melbourne robotics Startup wins $25,000

Friday, May 18, Tomahawk Robotics won the Florida Early Stage Angel Capital Conference - Groundswell CEO, Micah Widen, says it’s a sign of big things to come in Space Coast, FL. “Talent is the most important
ingredient to a flourishing entrepreneurial ecosystem and we have a ton as you are witnessing with Tomahawk Robotics”.

Tomahawk Robotics, founded in January 2018, builds robotic solutions with humans in mind. They are part of a trend of Melbourne-based engineers-turned-entrepreneurs taking advantage of the growing startup ecosystem.

Co-founder Brad Truesdell said the local support made all of the difference, “Groundswell has been an amazing resource for us. We’ve been able to focus on the key elements of our business vs noncore activities like outfitting an office.” Truesdell said the rapid growth the company has seen is thanks in part to such a strong support system. “We would not have been able to mature our technology or customer activities to this point if we had gone a different route. Our ability to achieve profitability quickly is a direct result of Groundswell’s support.”

Truesdell said Groundswell co-founders John Vecchio and Bud Deffebach were instrumental in the early stages of founding Tomahawk. “John and Bud have been phenomenal supporters. They have provided direct feedback on many elements of our business from pricing to hiring,” Truesdell said. “This feedback has helped us accelerate our business efforts and avoid a number of pitfalls.”

Groundswell Startups is a business incubator and coworking space dedicated to innovation on the Space Coast. To celebrate the first year in their headquarter building, and three years of supporting Space Coast
technologists, creatives and entrepreneurs, Groundswell announced an anniversary party set for June 2nd to highlight community milestones and discuss upcoming ones. To connect or to find out more, visit swellstartups.com.