Volansi, the leader in autonomous, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) delivery drones for medium to heavy-weight payloads, today announced the appointment of Dr. Will Roper, one of the country’s foremost experts on aerospace transformation, as its new Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Roper joined the Volansi board of directors in March 2021. Volansi’s primary venture capital investors are Lightspeed Venture Partners and Icon Ventures.
Dr. Roper served as Assistant Secretary of the US Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, where he oversaw an annual budget of $60 billion. Since leaving the government in January 2021, he has been an advisor and board member for technology and investment companies.
“As a Volansi board member, I’ve been impressed by the company’s capacity for innovation,” said Dr. Will Roper. “The company’s VTOL designs are well-suited for a range of commercial and military applications. It felt like a natural fit for me to bring my industry knowledge as well as operations and logistics experience to help create disruptive solutions for the transportation of medium to heavy weight payloads. It’s an exciting opportunity.”
While serving in the Air Force, Roper was responsible for all research and development, test, production, modernization, and logistics efforts for the Air Force and Space Force. Dr. Roper was the U.S. government leader in identifying and supporting private sector technology companies to get access to Department of Defense resources. He led Air Force-wide technology transformations for software development, artificial intelligence, and digital engineering. He also initiated high-tech programs for hypersonic weapons, autonomous drones, and a militarized internet of things, all while overseeing the day-to-day logistics of over 5,000 military aircraft and support systems.
“At Volansi, we are very proud of having assembled a world-class team and demonstrated a track record of technical excellence in design, test, and production,” said founding CEO Hannan Parvizian. “Attracting Dr. Roper, first to our Board of Directors and now as CEO, will help us surpass even our most ambitious goals. I look forward to working alongside him in my new role as the new Chief Technology Officer and Product Architect to set the vision and strategic direction for the company’s future.”
Dr. Roper joins a growing executive leadership team at Volansi that includes former members of successful tech companies and global logistics companies like FedEx. “I am delighted to announce Will as Volansi’s new CEO and Hannan as its new CTO and Product Architect,” said Board Chairman Paul Ricci. “We are excited about the leadership team and the future of this rapidly growing company.”
About Volansi:
Volansi provides fast, on-demand aerial delivery services for time-critical shipments over long ranges. We build and operate autonomous long-range, medium-to-heavyweight payload drones for commercial, federal, and humanitarian applications. Leveraging drone technology as a transportation method, we help our customers gain control of their supply chain by delivering critical equipment, essential supplies and humanitarian aid where it otherwise faced unpredictable delays– saving time, money, and lives. To learn more, visit Volansi.com or follow us on Twitter @volans_i.
