A trio of women entrepreneurs has started an online venture to book private and commercial flights throughout the United States. VolJet in Sherman Oaks is the brainchild of Susan Sloan, who serves as chief executive; Laurence Rabe, chief operating officer; and Melody Gregorio, president and controller. The company launched this month and Sloan said it will target a customer who perhaps has considered flying on a private aircraft but has never done so before. The VolJet system takes the haggling and confusion out of booking a private plane, she added. “If you try to hire a private jet there is a lot of negotiation,” said Sloan, herself a pilot who also works at the navigation systems division of Northrop Grumman Corp. in Woodland Hills. The startup had a lengthy gestation period as Sloan and Rabe came up with the idea more than three years ago. The technology backend is based on that used by Jeff Klee, a friend of Sloan’s who operates CheapAir.com, an online travel agency based in Calabasas. Later on, VolJet hired its own tech team. “We are now self-sufficient, but (Klee) did get us started in this,” Sloan said. The firm has been self-funded by its principals. Sloan said they approached venture capitalists and angel investors but they wanted too high of a percentage stake in the company than the three were willing to give up. “I believe that was the right decision,” she said. How VolJet works is a passenger can book a flight just for himself or herself, or can create a group that others join. When chartering an aircraft, cost per person decreases the more passengers that join. In addition, aircraft operators are able to see the groups wanting to book a flight and connect with them through the site. There is also an option to book a commercial flight for any leg of a trip if a passenger so desires. VolJet sets itself apart from competing sites by not being membership based and having prenegotiated prices for the jets. The company takes a percentage of the total cost of a booked trip, Sloan said. “(The cost) is based on hourly rates for the aircraft,” she said. The company is slowly building up its network of air charter companies that will provide flights. It already has several in place based out of Van Nuys Airport, although Sloan declined to name those participating. “It is taking time to talk and vet them and show that it is a win for them,” Sloan said. “As we talk to the operators, once they get what we are doing, they say we are almost like an Uber of the sky.” Making a List Tech news and information website SocalTECH.com has released its annual list of entrepreneurs and business owners making an impact in the tech industry. Included in the SocalTECH 50 is representation from the San Fernando Valley area – Therese Tucker, chief executive of financial software developer Blackline Systems in Woodland Hills; Stephen Stokols, chief executive and a co-founder of FreedomPop, also in Woodland Hills; and Alice Taylor, founder of MakieLab Inc. in Burbank. Additionally, Brett Bouttier, president of AwesomnessTV, partially owned by DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. in Glendale, is on the list. Nominees for the 50 positions on the list came from people that SocalTECH Editor Ben Kuo already knew about, public submissions and those suggested by a nine-member nominating committee of industry professionals Tucker founded Blackline in 2001 after retiring as chief technology officer at SunGard, a software and technology services company in Wayne, Penn. Blackline supplies financial reconciliation software to companies in the automotive, aerospace, health care, construction and retail sectors. Telecom company, FreedomPop, launched in October 2012, provided mobile and high-speed Internet connections. Stokols previously worked for consulting firm Accenture. MakieLab, originally started in England, has developed technology to create customizable dolls and accessories printed in 3-D. MakieLab was among the companies chosen this year to be part of the second class in the Walt Disney Co. business accelerator program. Executive Switch Sensor and switch technology manufacturer Hydra-Electric Co. this month named Len Torres chief operations officer. Torres will lead the operations team of the Burbank company, which makes pressure and temperature sensors and liquid flow switches for the aerospace industry. Chief Executive David Schmidt said Torres brings the results-oriented leadership needed to grow the company. “His background managing large teams across numerous functions offers an excellent match for our needs in a chief operations officer, especially as we are experiencing a significant increase in demand for the company’s sensors,” Schmidt said in a statement. Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or [email protected].