Beta Technologies

Segway inventor Dean Kamen, now on leave from Beta’s board, was a longtime adviser who helped route public money to the Vermont aviation startup.

The South Burlington aviation startup has applied to participate in a Trump administration program intended to fast-track development of the small, electric aircraft.

CEO Kyle Clark said he expects the company to add hundreds of new employees over the next year and a half, with many of those positions based in Vermont.

The Trump administration announced plans this week to terminate funding for hundreds of climate projects across the country, including two in Vermont.

A company in South Burlington wants to revolutionize the future of flight. Beta Technologies is part of a fast-growing industry working to build electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Beta has grown rapidly in the past five years. But the company is still several years away from launching its product, and it faces obstacles ahead.