Moller International
moller.com

Founded by aeronautical engineer Paul Moller, Moller International is on track for the first untethered flight of its Jetsons-style flying vehicle, the Skycar, this spring in Dixon, Calif. Moller hopes that a successful flight over a five-acre lake will help him toward his goal of getting a military prototype onto the market in about three years.

As FSB wrote in December 2004, Moller's strategy is to fund the Skycar venture by selling off commercial aspects of the technology. He recently secured a licensing agreement to mass-produce versions of the Skycar's rotary engine, which can be used for devices as small as power tools (and cost as little as $40). Still, Moller International, based in Davis, Calif., is struggling financially. R&D totaled $6 million in 2006 alone.