Interview of the Week: Serial entrepreneur Bobby Healy’s latest venture is bringing drone deliveries to Ireland
It nearly didn’t get off the ground though. An early client of the company went bankrupt and was unable to pay for the work that Eland had spent six months developing. Healy had been living in a hotel in Mexico City, writing code. Suddenly he had no way to pay his bills and people were knocking on the door and asking questions.
“I’m proud of all the careers that came out of it, all the jobs we created and the people that ultimately went on to start their own businesses. No regrets, but it definitely wasn’t my best project.” His current focus is Manna, where he serves as chief executive; and travel tech company Meili, in which he is an “active investor”.
Manna hasn’t been without its hiccups. The Covid-19 pandemic forced it to rethink plans for its test flights, which had been due to commence on UCD’s campus. However, it did find its niche during the pandemic, delivering medicines in Offaly and coffee and later essentials in a test in Oranmore, before moving on to Lusk and Balbriggan.
Safety is a major issue for the company. Last year it was reported that one of the delivery drones had crashlanded, but Healy is keen to set the record straight on that one. It was a maintenance mistake, an over-tightening of a bolt that led, over time, to the failure of the bolt and a propeller came loose.
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