After Volocopter’s insolvency, the founders of the pioneering flight taxi company blame the German government for the crisis.
Alexander Zosel, a co-founder, told the business magazine Capital, “It’s a shame for Germany that companies like Lilium and Volocopter, which have developed high technology, are simply left to fall by the German state.”
Volocopter filed for insolvency shortly after Christmas, following the failure of a follow-up financing round by investors and a state-backed guarantee. Zosel expressed surprise at the rejections from the federal and state governments. “In my view, there was no risk for the taxpayer” said the former CEO and supervisory board member of the startup. The flight taxis, he claimed, were proven and just a step away from being certified.
Thomas Senkel, Zosel’s co-founder, criticized the bureaucratic hurdles in Germany. “The bar is set very high to meet the requirements for certification. In other countries, it’s easier” Senkel told Capital. He himself would have liked an innovation policy with fewer rules and restrictions and warned of the consequences: “If Germany doesn’t play along, the US or China will take the lead.”
Alexander Zosel, Thomas Senkel, and Stephan Wolf founded Volocopter in Karlsruhe in 2011. While Senkel and Wolf are no longer involved in the company, Zosel and Wolf still hold shares.