From Exports to Exit: How International Business Can Fuel Startup Success

Recorded on October 23, 2025 as part of the International Business Webinar Series Hosted by GSU CIBER and sponsored by the national CIBER MSI Consortium. When Sean Casey helped found helicopter parts supplier Rotorcorp, he quickly noticed that companies who deploy these “flying pickup trucks” weren’t confined within U.S. borders. From far-flung fisheries and oil wells to expansive cattle ranches and infrastructure monitoring, Robinson helicopters were being put to use all over the world in a variety of utilitarian, and sometimes unorthodox, applications. The problem, he soon found, was that those who served them with spare parts were largely focused domestically, and online ordering, if it existed at all, was a far cry from the e-commerce ease most consumers expect in their personal shopping. Mr. Casey set to work expanding in two interlinked directions: digitizing inventory and improving online sales, while also broadening company’s geographic reach, relying on a variety of freely available resources — and carefully crafted personal relationships — to become an expert in exports. Rotorcorp achieved liftoff, and Mr. Casey exited the company in early 2025, taking his talents and hard-won international business lessons to Dragon Q Energy, a startup that distributes solar power poles outfitted with batteries to off-grid locations in need of reliable electricity. The company is set to launch a pilot project in Zambia as it raises capital to scale into disaster relief, telecom, commercial and military applications. With this new venture, Mr. Casey is building exports into the strategy at the outset, rather than bolting it on as an afterthought. Attendees will glean the following takeaways: o How to bring e-commerce solutions and scale to a fragmented legacy industry stuck in analog processes o Lessons on growing globally as a startup, and how international business can boost resiliency, attract capital and accelerate a business sale o How local connections, free resources and commitment to global business can help unlock export success, pairing U.S. strengths with global demand The International Business Webinar Series is a project of the national CIBER Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Consortium, led by Georgia State University CIBER and sponsored by CIBERs at Florida International University, George Washington University, Indiana University, Loyola Marymount University, Michigan State University, Temple University, Texas A&M University, University of Colorado-Denver, and the University of Maryland. This program is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Education.