Hydroplane Ltd.

Hydroplane Ltd.

Hydroplane Ltd. is a sustainable aviation startup based in Los Angeles County California. The company develops hydrogen fuel cell power-plant technology for aviation and mobile power generation. It was founded by former NASA engineer Dr. Anita Sengupta to facilitate heavy duty transport electrification. The company has received multiple US government Research and Development contracts with the US Air Force, US Marine Corps, and the US Army. The company has received several awards and recognition including winner of the US Army xTech 8 challenge, finalist in the US Army xTechHumanoid competition (ongoing), winner of a California Energy Commission CalTestBed Grant. The company was also named Minority Emerging Technology and Industries Firm of the Year by the US Department Of Commerce (2023) , a Titan Innovation Company by Woman and Drones Women (2023) , and was selected for the US Small Business Administration Seed Fund Expo in the Climate and Energy Category (2022).

About the Technology

The company uses hydrogen fuel cell based power-plants for electricity generation to power an electric motor. The company completed a Piper aircraft integration and demonstration in 2024. The company was awarded a US Marine Corps contract to build a ground power unit. The company also completed a rotor test stand demonstration in 2025 for the US Army SBIR xTech 8 program. The company was awarded an Army Phase 2 contract to electrify a helicopter in 2026.

Notable Team Members

The company CEO and founder in Dr. Anita Sengupta, a former NASA aerospace engineer known for her work on electric propulsion, mars landing systems, earth re-entry systems, the Hyperloop, and electric aircraft.

Funding History

According to the Los Angeles Business Journal, the company completed a seed round in 2022. According to Crunch Base, two rounds of funding have occurred.