Ben Jamieson & Caitlyn Francis

What we talk about

• How FoilDrive grew out of Paul's tinkering, drone work and a shared love of RC planes
• Why electric foiling felt like electric mountain biking all over again
• Branding the early days and the near miss with the name Thrust Tech
• Launching Gen. 2 in six weeks with a tiny team doing everything in house
• Feeling accepted by the other brands at the FSRL event in Florida
• Keeping the culture going as the business grows, and the FoilDrive hat
• What DJI's e-bike motor means for FoilDrive, and keeping the product simple
• Safety, the prop guard, and using FoilDrive to teach people to wing and foil

About this episode

Prior to meeting this pair at AWSI this year, we knew little to nothing about the two of them, and yet they're some of the most hard-working and influential people in the foiling game right now. Within minutes of meeting and chatting to Caitlyn over a margarita at Hood River's no.1 mexican 'Taqueria', Liam had decided she needed to be in front of the mic, and having the couple sit down together was a bonus.

A lot was covered in this conversation, and I'd be surprised if anyone didn't feel inspired both on and off the water having listened to it.

FYI: whilst it isn't essential to listen to episode 80 with Paul Martin prior to this one, it is referenced, and you're bound to enjoy both, so if you haven't already, consider listening to that first.

Catch you all in the new year - Happy 2024/2025!