gener8tor Founder Series Spotlight: Rick Whittaker, AirShare

In this episode, we’re featuring Rick Whittaker, Co-Founder and CEO of AirShare, a defense technology company developing non-lethal, 3D-printed missile systems designed to safely and cost-effectively mitigate hostile and wayward drones. With operations across Canada, Boston, and Saudi Arabia, AirShare is addressing a rapidly growing need in modern conflict environments.

Rick is a graduate of the gener8tor Milwaukee program through the gener8tor Wisconsin Accelerator in 2018. He credits the experience with helping AirShare gain early traction. Through hands-on coaching, mentor engagement, and consistent pressure to refine their narrative, the team sharpened its messaging and learned how to communicate more effectively with both investors and customers.

Today, AirShare is in active production and sales with a fifth-generation system, working with allied forces globally while continuing to build and iterate on future versions of its technology.

• Rick’s biggest lesson for founders:
  “Deciding what to focus on cannot be done in a bubble. It has to be done with the customer.”

• Rick’s ask:
  Support the founders around you. Help the person next to you when you can. These relationships compound over time and often come back in meaningful ways.

Rick’s journey highlights the importance of customer-driven decision making and the long-term value of building strong relationships within the founder ecosystem. From early traction to global deployment, his story reflects how clarity, iteration, and community can shape a company’s growth over time.

Watch the full conversation here: