FutureFlight
Archer Launches eVTOL into Crowded Marketplace
The backing for the startup from a leading technology entrepreneur has provided a boost for the eVTOL sector at a time of concern over investment rates.
Archer eVTOL aircraft
Startup Archer is still working to define the design for its planned eVTOL aircraft, but the current concept features a fixed-wing and six propellers. [Photo: Archer]

U.S. startup Archer on May 21 announced plans to bring an eVTOL aircraft to market. Backers of the Palo Alto, California-based company include Walmart eCommerce CEO Marc Lore, as well as cofounders Brett Adcock and Adam Goldstein, who recently sold recruitment platform Vettery to the Adecco Group for $100 million.

Archer is still in the early stages of defining its as-yet-unnamed aircraft, which it said would carry four passengers up to 60 miles at speeds of up to 150 mph. The company has recruited several engineers from rival eVTOL startups, such as former Wisk engineering v-p Tom Muniz and Geoff Bower, who was formerly chief engineer with Airbus’s Vahana project. Archer's 40-strong team also includes engineers from Joby Aviation and NASA.