A life built on getting people out the door.
I've spent my life inspiring others to step outside their comfort zone and explore new places.
I started my career in technology: mobile networks, connected devices, and the strategy behind them. These ideas allowed us to go outside, travel near or far, and still be connected with the people and information we want.
My curiosity and passion of travel that takes me up mountains and into back-street restaurants around the world led me to start a travel company to share that with other like-minded explorers and to inspire new ones.
Today, I've brought both worlds together by using my expertise to take flight in a different way — helping public safety agencies protect people, whether they are at home or far from it, using drones.
Flyhound finds people, fast.
Somewhere out there is someone who needs help. Flyhound turns the signal from their phone into a direction a search team can follow.
I am CEO and co-founder of Flyhound. We build drone-mounted cellular localisation technology for search and rescue, emergency response and public safety teams. When terrain, canopy, snow or darkness defeat a camera our payload detects, identifies and localises mobile phones nearby, so crews can save time in an emergency where minutes can mean lives.
It grew out of my two worlds: years in mobile and wireless technology, and a life spent in remote places where being found matters. The aim is simple. Reduce searches that can take days and hundreds of working hours to minutes.
Available only to accredited public safety agencies.
Deploy on your drone
Mount the payload on a supported aircraft and fly over the search area. No new airframe, no new certification path.
Detect every phone
Flyhound picks up the radio emissions of each mobile phone in range, with no camera required and nothing extra for the missing person to carry.
Drop the team a pin
Each detected phone becomes a located, identified beacon on the map for ground crews to rapidly respond to.
Consulting: faster, together.
From the things that keep you up at night to strategies for the future of mobility, let's take the next step together.
Drone as First Responder
Prior to Flyhound, I developed a program to help state and local public safety agencies plan how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are deployed in their community. Drones support tactical management of crimes in progress, search and rescue, analysis of crime scenes and traffic collisions, active shooter investigations, surveillance and crowd monitoring.
The program covers your agency's specific mission requirements, sourcing the latest NDAA-compliant hardware with advanced payloads and autonomous flight, integration with your existing infrastructure, and compliant data storage and access.
Cellular IoT
From medical devices to vehicles and everything in between, it has never been more important to connect people with the data they want, from anywhere. I help you make sense of 5G, LTE, LTE-M and LongFi, and choose the network that suits your device, both practically and technically.
From the big picture to the smallest detail, I can help you bring a concept to market: product requirements, feature and function definition, application validation and support through carrier certification.
Digital front door
It's not just a phone; it's the digital front door to your brand. A customer's journey starts with their first experience, and more often than not that happens on a mobile device.
I help build and execute a strategy that makes clear how customers interact with you, along with a solution that engages and delights them.
Education enablement
Born out of necessity during COVID, I support K-12 school districts, state boards of education and charter schools with a comprehensive strategy for hybrid learning that serves both students and educators. The program helps districts secure federal E-Rate funding, or additional funding available through the CARES Act, for a complete solution: hardware, connectivity, collaboration and content delivery, and the integration to make it work.
Districts where more than 60 per cent of students are eligible for the National School Lunch Program can receive extra help securing ultra low-cost Chrome OS-ready devices and no-or-low-cost 4G LTE connectivity for at-risk students learning remotely.
Custom engagements
From web portal design and implementation to strategy development and product or market research, I bring speed and agility to teams of any size.
From idea to the wild.
A no-nonsense, no-obligation 1:1 conversation is the first step.
Consulting services are available to Canadian or U.S. entities only.
Be curious.
Of every invention humans ever devised, the aeroplane has always been my favourite.
What started as a ski trip to Whistler with friends became a passion for bringing travel, adventure, and experiences to others.
I started We The Wild as a travel experience company with one idea: get you out of your comfort zone and exploring new places, whether around your city or around the world. We put experiences first, from city lights to climbing in the dead of night, with sand beneath our feet or mountains all around. Some nights were a fancy hotel, others a shared hostel, a tent under the stars, or the back of a car.
Après ski and a plan
Friends, stories and a realisation that we had something worth sharing. We The Wild is founded in January 2016 sitting around a bonfire after a long day of skiing.
Growing up
What began with "Bucket List on a Budget" - concierge planning for dream destinations - grew into group travel events, business travel management, corporate events and conflict resolution.
Getting everyone home
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic we took safety seriously. Within 24 hours of the first emergency declaration, we reversed course and stopped sending people out and focused on bringing everyone home. We suspended all revenue collection and group travel during one of the greatest impacts to modern travel.
Today: back to our roots
Even though we're no longer operating as a business, we remain a strong community of people who say yes to incredible places and amazing people. Our members are our friends, our crew is our family, and we're still travelling the world together.
Membership is by invitation only and for residents of Canada or the U.S.
Where in the world?
Here's where I am right now, where I'm heading next, and where I've just been.
Dallas, TX, USA
New York, NY, USA
Toronto, ON, Canada
If our paths will cross, say hi!
Culture, food, and nature are the three things that excite me whilst travelling.
Say hello! Bonjour ! ¡Hola! こんにちは！
Here's my latest post on Bluesky. Follow me @manny.to
Whether it's a consulting question, a trip idea or just a hello, I'd like to hear from you.