Coming from Detroit

Before moving to Orlando in 1986 to attend Rollins College for his MBA, Rupert had already started and sold businesses in Detroit, where he grew up.

By 1990 he was drawn to the entrepreneurial spirit found in Orlando and the amount of technology around the area. As a project management consultant at Martin Marietta (now known as Lockheed Martin), he had the pleasure of working on technology projects people only dream about.

Rupert’s Startup in Orlando

Rupert Meghnot’s first startup in Orlando was Video-Snap®, where he patented a consumer electronic item that held remote controls such as your TV and VCR together.  If you lost your remote, all you had to do was clap and the item would beep.

Everything was all set from the designed circuit boards, injection tooling and marketing.  He even completed a large and successful market test, but unfortunately the recession of 1992 happened and his investor pulled the rug out from underneath him.

With around $250,000 in debt and no income, Rupert faced a struggle that would drag on for a couple years.  He found himself working as a bathroom valet at a men’s club but still found his way to stay connected to the entrepreneurial community with a Florida Venture Group and the Central Florida Council for High Technology.

During this time, his friends began consoling him.  They recognized his accomplishments in the past with raising capital and putting together business plans.  They turned to him and asked if he could do the same for them.  Seeing the opportunity, he jumped in and went to work.  Within three years he was debt free, including his new house.

This business went on for 9 years in which he worked with a couple hundred companies doing projects like high speed rails, an evacuated tube transport (Elon Musk was a Junior in college during this time) and many others.

Stepping into Orlando’s Big Simulation Industry

Rupert’s next step was into Simulation, an industry that is currently bringing in $6 billion a year to Orlando.  During this time he worked with an engineer to develop and patent an idea he had for an electromechanical motion simulation technology.  He worked in the industry for 11 years, 8 of which he worked as a DOD Prime Contractor.

During these 11 years he backed out of Orlando’s entrepreneurial community to focus on his company but did work at UCF teaching Entertainment Technology for the new Rosen College.

Changing things up in 2007, Rupert started a construction business doing high-end ornamental metal for clients such as professional athletes, Disney, Plaza Hotel in NY, and others.  Over the course of the next 5 years he doubled his income with the business each year, even through the Great Recession.

During this time (2008), Full Sail University was starting a Game Design Masters Degree Program and asked Rupert to join them.  With his backgound in VR (since ’92) and games (since ’96) they looked to him to teach project management.  He would do this for the next 6 years.