BEN JAMES

• I was working on our third-generation hyperloop pod for a SpaceX hyperloop competition and realized that a small tube to move goods quickly could be potentially more valuable than a big tube to move people.
• I built over 50 prototypes and had over 500 conversations with prospective customers across different industries before realizing that this design for the manufacturing industry had a strong value for the industry.
• We had to quit our day jobs and get serious about this when one prospective customer said, “We know where we want to pilot this. How soon can you build it?”

• The impact that this technology can have on manufacturing and furthermore for smart cities is so large that it’s hard to forecast. A key component of onshoring US manufacturing is automating the jobs that are hard to fill and we are hitting that pain point right in the bullseye.
• I care deeply about sustainability in business and the opportunity to drastically reduce the carbon footprint of one of the biggest carbon emission contributors in our society is a big deal.
• The team is incredible. Every once in a while I reflect on what someone just said or think about who I get to work with and it’s like a movie where superheroes join forces for a mission. We’ve got a combination of brilliance, grit, and purpose that make us unstoppable.

I’ve always been a builder and wanted to build something impactful when I was little. At that time, I thought perhaps it was a construction company like my dad’s. Later, I thought it might be telescopes like my great-great grandfather. But this is way cooler. I get to work with robots delivering goods in tubes!

• Being unplugged and with family. They are my reason and what gives me the most happiness.
• That being said, it’s nearly impossible for me to turn off my Tubular brain. Idle moments turn into brainstorming sessions within seconds and my obsession with Tubular means I’m always happy to talk shop.

1. Queen - We Will Rock You. Not only is this song category-defining for arena rock, it happens to be my two year old’s favorite song and someone in my family breaks out in this song on a daily basis.
2. Louis Armstrong - Wonderful World. This song captures the optimistic outlook I carry.
3. The Offspring - Staring At the Sun. When I hear the frenzied tempo of this song, it reminds me of how fast we’re moving and building up our startup.

1. Anywhere with water. Flamenco Beach in Puerto Rico is the current champion for me.
2. Headed to the north Georgia mountains for July 4th with family and then down to Pensacola, FL with family.