Starting his own self-flying passenger vehicle company at just 15 years old, Max Owens has fully devoted himself to building his business in Long Beach, California. What started out as a passion project quickly transformed into a fully functioning aircraft when his original prototype successfully took flight right before leaving for his freshman year at Cornell in 2022.
After receiving an offer of $1.4 million at the start of his junior year in the College of Engineering, Owens realized that keeping up with the pace meant leaving Cornell to pursue MAVRIK.
Taking Flight
From turning his own room into a maker space to learning how to program at 11 years old, Owens’ fascination with building things started young.
Originally nicknamed Max’s Aerial Vehicle, Owens began work on the project a couple of years later. Inspired by the meaning of the word maverick, to be “unorthodox,” he combined the Top Gun reference and the name MAVRIK was born.
Getting his ideas off the ground began with dedicating a year to designing the fuselage, or the main body of the drone. Demonstrating a proof of concept and attracting attention from others, this vital component helped raise $30,000 to cover frame welding and electronic expenses. To support this foundational piece, another year was spent towards building and programming. Described as a “scaled-up version” of a drone, the original prototype was a fully electric vertical takeoff and landing passenger vehicle.
Owens additionally spends his time pitching MAVRIK to investors who, despite having initial concerns around technicalities and feasibility, have expressed interest in supporting the business.
This project is essentially centered around the concept of moving individuals and large items to different places at a low cost. Although there has been lots of innovation in the machinery, the application of this technology has been around for a long time.
Owens believes modern technology is capable of making urban air mobility a reality, though a range of safety worries must still be addressed. The Federal Aviation Administration does not make it easy to get certified, especially for large-scale use. Many companies such as Joby Aviation and Archer struggle to financially support certification, especially when they do not receive the desired end result after millions of dollars are spent.
At Cornell, Owens recalled fond memories of connections he has made with other students. In addition to recreational sports, he valued his time with the Baja Racing project team, where collaborating with a tight-knit group of fellow innovators served as an eye-opening experience to diverse creativity.
As MAVRIK took flight, balancing school became increasingly difficult, and Owens found himself shifting his focus towards the project. Whether he was in class or on vacation, Owens was constantly working on MAVRIK — writing emails, connecting people, designing and solving internal decision-making challenges.
“MAVRIK is something I love to do,” Owens said. “It’s something that’s always on my mind, I’m always solving a problem that pertains to MAVRIK.”
Looking to the Future
Since moving out to the West Coast, Owens has found ways to integrate work for the company throughout his daily life, while still making time for other things he enjoys such as hanging out with friends and skateboarding. The transition has also allowed him to take on more employees, including some full-time Cornellians.
“Bringing on a lot of my incredibly impressive and hardworking friends to work on [MAVRIK] with me just makes it that much more fun and engaging and easy to integrate into my daily routine,” Owens said.
With MAVRIK as his main focus now, Owens’ goal for the upcoming prototype is to move towards a hybrid power system. Converting from electric to hybrid not only aids in expanding fuel use capabilities amongst wider audiences, but extends flying range dramatically by a factor of six.
While this next vehicle can still carry individuals, it now also accommodates cargo and unusually shaped items. Shifting from a passenger-centric design, it has evolved into a more versatile, multipurpose form of transportation. The customer base has shifted from the exploration market to the federal level with the Department of Defense for disaster relief and for search and rescue. Whether it is Amazon delivery boxes, food for disaster relief or supplies for wildfires, the company is looking to take a more realistic, achievable and faster go-to-market approach.
Originally aiming to revolutionize travel, Owens remains confident that his plans are still on course, though he recognizes that strategic pivots are necessary to make his vision more attainable. The eVTOL market has surged over the past decade, and the once-futuristic idea of flying cars now seems increasingly feasible.
When looking to the new age of transportation, his firsthand experience with Los Angeles traffic is an everyday concern that calls for moving travel to the sky. Acknowledging the safety factor is key, and acquiring more flight hours with cargo will potentially result in more proven and tested security to move towards passenger-focused vehicles, according to Owens. With the rise in congestion, emergency responders suffer from timing complications during life-threatening situations. MAVRIK seeks to approach travel as sustainably moving straight from one place to another by flying and landing rather than relying on the road.
“It’s much quicker, likely you save more gas and you gain fuel efficiency, especially if you’re fully electric,” Owens said. “[It’s] another way to keep things green.”
The Next Generation
For future engineers and entrepreneurs, Owens reiterates the value in people doing things they enjoy and finding ways to turn passion into a paying job.
“The amazing people that I’ve met and the places that I’ve gone and the things I’ve been able to do because I have followed this passion for so long were more than worth all of the time I have spent on it,” Owens said.
He also highlights how persistence and consistency are critical to figuring out solutions. At first glance, searching for answers online can often provide an instant result. However, for issues that involve more complexity, thinking outside the box may require extended time to “let the problem marinate.”
“I started programming when I was really young and learned pretty quickly that there are very few problems that you will have in life that haven't been solved before,” Owens said.
Warm introductions from previous mutual connections is another powerful tool Owens has utilized, and he recommends building trust through already established relationships. Using Cornell networking and family conversations enabled him to find contacts with employee candidates and individuals like venture capitalist Adam Gartenberg. After being introduced through a mutual connection, exchanging a few emails, and speaking on the phone, Gartenberg drove out to meet Owens at Cornell for the first time where they spent several hours walking around campus.
“After the meeting, it was really obvious that we had to invest in him and MAVRIK,” Gartenberg said.
Gartenberg, who typically invests in transportation, manufacturing and supply chain innovations, was inspired by Owens’ story.
“I just want to be on the journey with [Owens],” Gartenberg said. “I was also a founder, a startup too, so I have the empathy and the understanding for what he’s going through.”
In addition to helping out on the hiring front, Gartenberg shares his insights as an investor and former Head of Product and Operations for Uber’s Rider Innovation Team.
The combination of urgency, versatility and innovation have made MAVRIK a futuristic idea taking flight with the technology of today. Knowing what he needed to do to get to where he wanted to be, Owens has steered his own unique path towards pursuing his dreams in revolutionizing the future of travel.
Leah Chang is a Sun contributor and can be reached at lc2268@cornell.edu.
