Yuhan Roh knows his classmates in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics have novel ideas and are capable of developing unique, innovative assets.

He’d just like to see those inventions transition to commercialization.

He’s hoping his experiences can inspire students to take such a leap.

That’s what Roh, a graduate student in AAE, and co-founder Juan Pablo Mascaretti have done with FlykeART, a lighter and smarter galley cart for airplanes. Roh even appeared on Indiana Inside Business in August to talk about the product, using the appearance as an opportunity to find different funding and generate contact with angel investors.

Roh and Mascaretti spend days studying aerospace engineering, and they have that kind of technical skill set to apply to the aviation industry. The airplane food cart has been similar for 40 years, but they’re making new tech that will allow airlines to reduce their operational costs and improve overall air travel experience.

Roh has learned it’s not just about the research and the technical aspects to an idea — students need to learn how to take those ideas and pitch them. That’s what Roh would like to see more of in AAE.  

“I was able to see both sides of the world, technical and business sides, and I’m really enjoying the bridge between those two worlds,” Roh said. “Now I’m seeing the importance of how critical it is to have both sides in order to make ideas come true.

“I’d definitely recommend to students who have an inkling of what they want to do for their life in entrepreneurship, definitely jump in and do it.”

FlykeART won third place in the Business Model Competition offered through Purdue’s Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship and was honorable mention in the International Business Model Competition held at Brigham Young University. There are multiple prototypes of the cart that are shown at such competitions, and the company is entering the manufacturing and distribution stage, Roh said. There have been conversations with airlines, too. But the next major hurdle is certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, a costly process that could take years.

Roh doesn’t want to portray the startup process as easy — he wouldn’t misrepresent the journey to other students. But, in the end, he said all of the hassle and time spent are well worth the investment.

“It’s definitely overwhelming. Let’s just say things didn’t work out and this happens to be just great experience, I’m going to be so happy that I tried,” he said.