Fliteboard Scoops Global and Local Awards
Byron Bay start-up Fliteboard has been named in two major awards in the same week, awarded Best in Category for Sports products at the global Green Product Awards 2022 in Munich and ‘Australian Exporter of the Year’ in the Australian Marine Industry Awards (AIMEX) on the Gold Coast. The awards closely follow Fliteboard’s inclusion in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia.
Brands from across 56 countries and 1500 projects were reviewed for the prestigious Green Product Awards and evaluated according to their design, innovation and sustainability in a multi-stage process. Fliteboard won the award for ‘Best in Sports’ for being the world’s most efficient powered marine vehicle.
The Green Awards Jury said of the award, “Fliteboard is a revolutionary water sports product whose surprisingly low energy consumption gives it a high sustainability potential. Technology, society, environment, and culture are perfectly integrated through design. It is also very exciting that in the near future, perhaps this technology can be applied to related sports and even more extensive marine transportation and redefine the way of water travel.”
Fliteboard was also honoured at the 2022 AIMEX Awards which celebrate best practice, innovation and excellence across the marine export, superyacht and commercial sectors. Named ‘2022 Australian Exporter of the Year’, the judges acknowledged Fliteboard’s extraordinary 126% increase in export sales and double export revenue growth in 2021, in spite of the disruptions of the pandemic. In addition, Fliteboard was voted winner of ‘Best Marketing Strategy’ for the second year in row, both for its innovative outreach strategies and for its ‘Flite Cup’ initiative, which helped to raise money for indigenous-led charities whilst also making history as the first ever e-foil to cross the English Channel.
The 2021 - 2022 FY has been a stellar period for Fliteboard, with awards and accolades flowing from its product innovation and rapid global expansion. Last month, the company was included in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia, a program which ranks fast-growing technology companies based on revenue growth over three years. Winners are identified by the technology and financial industry for their leadership as forward-thinking and innovative technology companies. Fliteboard was ranked 15th in recognition of its 978% growth; part of a cohort, says Deloitte, who “challenge the status quo, rewrite the rules and reimagine the world, making lives easier, smarter, safer, healthier and more sustainable.”
Says Fliteboard founder David Trewern, “We’re proud to have been acknowledged in these prestigious awards, both the global Green Product awards and the AIMEX awards closer to home, and to have been included in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 Australia. It’s testament to the commitment and talent of the Fliteboard team. We’re also indebted to our loyal customers, who give us the incredible feedback that helps us to build better, more sustainable products, that we are then able to share with the world.”
About Fliteboard
From a spark of inspiration, to a globally recognised company producing the world's most highly-awarded electric hydrofoils, Flite has come a long way in a short time.
Flite now has more than 200 authorised partners selling their boards, Fliteschools across the world, and offices in three countries: Australia, The Netherlands and The United States. The company includes Naval Architects, Product Designers, Mechanical, Electronic and Software Engineers; and is focused on the intersection between electric vehicle technology and hydrofoil design.
The company’s origin, however, was far more whimsical. The idea for a motorised hydrofoil arrived on a windless day in 2016 as a 'lightbulb moment'. Flite's founder, former kite-surfing world record holder and serial entrepreneur David Trewern, was at a kitefoiling event when he thought: ‘What if I didn’t have to wait for the wind, or for the swell to rise? What if I could just attach an electric motor to my foil?’ That dream became a sketch and the kitchen table, a workshop. The 3D printer went into overdrive and late nights became early mornings. Dozens of prototypes later, David took flight for the first time.
Flite's range of boards now includes Fliteboard, AIR, PRO and ULTRA, all electric powered hydrofoils of varying sizes, designed for different levels of experience and tastes. Flite’s latest adventure is, of course, Series 2.2.