Time certainly does fly! A year ago this month, inventor and President of PowerUp Toys, Shai Goitien, launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for PowerUp 3.0 that generated over $1.2 million and became the top funded programs in the flight category. Today, the innovative Bluetooth-enabled paper airplane toys are sold exclusively at Mastermind Toys stores across Canada and is flying off the shelves in various specialty retailers in the U.S.
Since its introduction into the market, the success of PowerUp 3.0 has taken off. With product in high demand, inventory in stores across North America and on Amazon is quickly depleting as consumers are gearing up for the holidays and fulfilling the wish lists of gadget lovers and aviation enthusiasts alike.
PowerUp 3.0 has been tested and praised on various technology websites including Tech Crunch, Mashable and was most recently named one of CNET’s top remote-controlled toys of 2014. Goitien and PowerUp Toys rose to fame during a Kickstarter campaign after receiving numerous requests from the world’s biggest media outlets and gaining global interest from people of all ages. Since then, they have devoted themselves to developing drone technology with a personal touch.
“Thanks to the overwhelming support of our Kickstarter backers, PowerUp 3.0 was able to get off the ground and capture the attention of major influencers,” explained Goitein.” This past year has been an amazing ride and it isn’t over yet. We are always looking to the future and dedicating ourselves to wonders of science and play so that we can create the next big thing for our fans.”
In 2013, PowerUp Toys launched a Kickstarter page with a goal of $50,000 to fund PowerUp 3.0, a Bluetooth-enabled paper airplane that can be controlled directly from a smart phone app. The campaign reached its funding goal within eight hours. Shortly after the Kickstarter shipments of PowerUp 3.0 were flown overseas to more than 100 different countries, PowerUp 3.0 was made available to the general public on through the company’s website. Its debut at the EAA AirVenture Air Show truly propelled PowerUp 3.0 into international stardom.
As a former pilot, Goitein witnessed firsthand how people of all ages fell in love with the magic of flight and was determined to create a state-of-the-art flight toy for all to enjoy. PowerUp was launched in 2011 with the creation of the Electric Paper Plane Conversion kit. The kit, which included an attachable propeller that would fit most paper plane designs, garnering the praise from NASA Engineers who raved about PowerUp’s eco-friendly and innovative design.
PowerUp is the recipient of a multitude of awards including Popular Science’s Toy of the Year at the New York Toy Fair and American Toy Association Best Hobby Product of the Year.
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