Building the Future of UAV Flight.

Sentient Blue® is an aerospace engineering company founded in Parma, Italy in 2017. The company is also incorporated in the US and headquartered in Syracuse, New York. Sentient Blue is focused on development and manufacture of more efficient, cleaner powertrains for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) employing our proprietary hybrid and stand-alone microturbine system designs.

 

Our technology can also be adapted for non-UAV applications including combined power and heating systems and portable electrical generator units. Sentient Blue won the top prize in the 2019 Genius NY competition and is a member of AUVSI and the ANSYS Startup Program.

Meet Our Team

Say hello to the brilliant minds behind our advanced microturbines.

Saïf-Deen Akanni

Saïf-Deen Akanni​

Founder, CEO & CTO (Italy & USA)

 
 
 
With a BSc. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA and Ph.D. in fluid dynamics, from City University London, United Kingdom.
Saïf has a demonstrated expertise in fluid dynamics and aeroelastics. Some of his roles after university saw him head up the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) group at the Red Bull Sauber Formula One team. He also led various projects in wing design at Airbus for the A320 NEO, A400M and A350 airplanes. He worked as a consultant for Rolls-Royce developing and testing on the F-136 engine, the LiftFan and other aircraft systems for Lockheed F-35B Lightning II fighter. Immediately prior to founding Sentient Blue, he was a senior aerodynamicist at the Haas-Ferrari Formula One team. His expertise in fluid dynamics and aerodynamics represent a key asset for Sentient Blue.

Barry Morse

Board Member

 
 
 
Barry helps entrepreneurs develop and finance break-through growth technologies and businesses.
During 20+ years in Europe, Barry founded several pioneering FinTech companies, raising more than $100 million and recording multiple successful trade exits for his investors.
He developed highly successful proprietary trading programs for global investment banks and has a keen interest in payment systems. He served as a member of the Executive Committee of the banking cooperative S.W.I.F.T. scrl in Brussels.
Originally trained as an econometrician, Barry specializes in mentoring entrepreneurs and developing innovative strategies and alternative funding sources for early-stage growth companies. Barry divides his time between London and Cape Cod.

Frederick Peters

Board Member

 
 
 
Frederick is an experienced aviation professional with more than 20,000 flying hours accrued in the last forty years. He recently resigned from his role as a Boeing 777 captain with British Airways. During his career as an aviator, he has flown commercial and light aircraft, scheduled and non-scheduled routes, to and from major airports and small airfields, including challenging flying geographies.
Frederick is the Chairman of the Board of Sentient Blue Technologies S.r.l. He also takes an active role in the company assisting through fund raising and business development.

David Aronson

Board Member (USA)

 
 
 
Aronson is a founder and commercial director of Sentronics Limited and Calibra Technology Ltd, providers of ground-breaking fuel flow sensor technology for the next generation of automotive emissions and fuel economy testing regulations, as well as sole supplier to the FIA Formula 1, FIA WEC, and IMSA motor racing series. He is also co-founder and commercial director of the DragonSpeed IndyCar and endurance racing team, whose record includes the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge GTA-class title with Mercedes-Benz, 2017 European Le Mans Series team and driver championships, and LMP2-class wins at the IMSA Rolex 24 and WEC Spa 6 Hours in 2019. Aronson is a 35-year veteran of motorsport marketing in Formula 1 and the US, lending his strategic, management, and design expertise to both sponsors and teams. In F1, he worked for Shell, Ford, Honda, USF&G, Sanyo, Hitachi, Sega, Benetton, Tyrrell, Stewart, and Minardi. His other clients have included Lola Cars, Newman Haas Racing, Penske Racing, Mo Nunn Racing, Pi Research, and Racer magazine. Aronson is a graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Art.

Nicola Scimeca

Board Member

 
 
 
After graduating in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Palermo, Nicola started working in the USA in Motorsport in the American Le Mans Series (AMLS) and the Indy Racing League (IRL). He then moved back to Europe to become Project Leader of the World Series by Nissan, the Infinity Pro Series, and the Chief Designer of the iconic Maserati MC12.

Nicola is a director with more than twenty years of experience within the Automotive and Motorsport industry. He has been involved on all aspects of the business from engineering to the on-track racing, from big Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to small teams and start-ups and from customer support to the race engineering and operations.

In 2004 he started his entrepreneurship career founding his own Consulting Company, and in 2008 he founded Ycom (https://www.ycom.it/), an advanced technology company that develops turnkey solutions covering all aspects of product development, including design, testing and races. Ycom is the company behind the latest motorsport successes of Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Toyota, among others.

Nicola is a passionate technology scout and he has developed and deep knowledge of current and future forms of mobility. It is this new interest in mobility that makes Nicola an excellent fit for the Sentient Blue Board of Directors.

Marc Lindemann

Marc Lindemann

Chief Operating Officer (USA)

 
 
 

Marc recently joined Sentient Blue as the Head of Business Operations and is focusing on transitioning the company to an effective and efficient operation promoting Sentient Blue’s technology and product lines.

Marc has been responsible for providing leadership for and executing improvements in plant operations and engineering, analyzing and improving plant revenue generation and profitability, and effective management of the contractual and financial aspects related to the power generation business. His skills relate to discovering opportunity in matters relating to improved engineering and operations, improved market access, and the management of personnel and systems that result in the enhancement of a company’s bottom line.

Careers

Let’s Revolutionise

the Future of UAV Flight

 
 

At Sentient Blue, we feel it is our duty to break through the stagnant standards of today’s drone technology in order to effectively reach and help more people around the world for commercial, defense, humanitarian, recreational, and scientific purposes. Our team is comprised of some of the brightest minds in the world working together to make this mission a success.

Our hybrid power systems will revolutionise UAV capability and help drone producers to realise their full market potential.

Saïf-Deen AkanniSentient Blue CEO and CTO

Learn More about Our Hybrid Technology