Propelling Innovation: How KON Aerosystems is shaping the future of flight

Two Canadian innovators are launching the next generation of electromagnetic propulsion through their venture, KON Aerosystems.

For the founders, the most rewarding part of building their own company hasn’t just been the technology; it’s been the reaction from others. 

“When people tell us, ‘what you’re doing is actually going to help,’ that’s when it really hits,” CTO Jovan Phull reflected. “It’s not just a cool idea anymore, it’s something that can make a real impact.”

Inspired by his own father’s entrepreneurial path, Phull always envisioned starting something of his own, and has achieved that alongside KON Aerosystems’ CEO, Javad Siahkamari. 

After studying materials science engineering at the University of Toronto, that vision began to take form with help from a small but mighty team.

From hyperloop to launch systems: A spark behind KON Aerosystems

Before founding KON Aerosystems, the idea of electromagnetic launch had already taken shape in the minds of its founders through their work on the University of Toronto’s Hyperloop team.

“Hyperloop is basically maglev trains in vacuum tubes. Over a thousand kilometers per hour,” Phull explained. “It was originally proposed by Elon Musk. The idea was San Francisco to LA in 30 minutes.” 

The Canadian equivalent Phull provided was, “Toronto to Montreal in 30 minutes.”

The project was not just theoretical. As part of the university’s Hyperloop design team, they were thrust into what felt like a startup environment long before graduation.

“It was a fast-paced learning environment, and it felt very much like a startup to us,” he said. “We were going out, talking to companies, raising funds, hiring student engineers, handling procurement, design, manufacturing, everything.”

The team’s determination paid off. Despite the setbacks brought by the pandemic, when they had to move operations to the second floor of a Chinese supermarket, splitting space with a ballet studio, they completed their first small-scale Hyperloop pod before graduation in 2022.

“We did what we had to do to get the pod built,” he recalled. “We became the first North American team to win an award at the event.”

That experience became the seed of what would evolve into KON Aerosystems. After returning from the competition in the Netherlands, the team’s excitement turned into a new question: 

How could they take what they’d learned and apply it to real-world problems?

Building KON Aerosystems

“The first problem we were trying to tackle was the actual emissions of commercial aircraft themselves,” explained Phull.

“If you look at takeoff, it’s only about 45 seconds of flight, but it burns up to five per cent of the entire flight’s fuel, which is absolutely ridiculous. So, we felt like that was probably a good way to enter into the field.” 

Rather than pursuing full-sized commercial aircraft from the outset, the company strategically pivoted to focus on drones as an initial platform. This shift allowed the team to demonstrate their core technology through modest but effective tests.

"We built a small prototype, approximately 1/20th scale, which currently launches small RC planes, but shows how the electromagnetic propulsion works," said Phull. 

The startup transitioned from focusing on commercial aircraft to a smaller-scale airborne mission that includes drones. This strategic pivot was guided by extensive conversations with customers, aerospace professionals, and investors, reflecting a realistic response to market realities.

By energizing the prototype with a small voltage source, the team demonstrated the fundamentals of their electromagnetic propulsion technology without requiring large-scale capital investment.

In addition to their creative prototyping, KON Aerosystems pursued strategic partnerships to accelerate progress. Phull shared that the team tapped into talent from universities like U of T and Waterloo, bringing on about 20 interns over its inception, demonstrating how passion and community can substitute for traditional capital in the early stages. 

KON Aerosystems’ evolution demonstrates how creativity, collaboration, and the courage to start small can ignite something much greater – a vision that continues to grow and evolve every day.

Impacting the future of flight, one prototype at a time

From prototype to production, from idea to impact, for KON Aerosystems, the coming years are about transformation. Phull hopes to see the company “funded and have a product created… testing it with partners,” leading toward mass production of its innovative launcher system.

“We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into a niche. We want to be the next generation of takeoff and launching for any aircraft or drone that comes out in the market.”

Their ultimate dream still reaches higher skies, toward commercial aviation, but for now, the mission is clear: build a technology that changes how small aircraft take flight. 

As KON Aerosystems continues to push the boundaries of flight, Phull leaves aspiring founders with a message grounded in both ambition and honesty. His advice to those ready to bring their ideas to life is simple yet profound: always ask for help, speak to as many people as you can, and, above all, “don’t limit yourself.”

“The world is your oyster, you can take it as far as you’re willing. It’s going to be tough and there will be hard times, but being a founder is also about building resiliency while staying true to yourself.”