Rory Brogan, founder and CEO of Torev Motors, has always enjoyed building things – an interest he says likely started while playing with LEGO blocks as a child.

That interest continued throughout Rory’s life and led him to earn dual degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and an MBA from Georgetown University.

While studying engineering, Rory became interested in developing a more efficient and environmentally-friendly electric motor. And like it did as a LEGO-obsessed child, his creativity and imagination led to invention…or at least so he thought.

“After about 50 iterations of motor drawings, I came across the axial flux motor design,” he relates. “I thought I had invented something — then I learned Michael Faraday beat me to it in the mid-1800s.”

However, Rory found new applications for the motor in today’s world and shaped his “reinvention” into a double axial flux motor that improved vehicle efficiency and performance. It was enough to give him the foundation of a business that he launched the day he graduated from Georgetown’s MBA program in September 2022.

Shortly into his entrepreneurial journey, Rory realized he needed more than passion to launch a business. That led him to the Virginia SBDC – Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), which assists Virginia-based technology and innovation-driven startups on their paths to success.

Rory was connected with ICAP Mentor TJ Master, who taught him to dig into the specifics of why customers should care about his product. A major point of emphasis was the environmentally friendly aspect of Rory’s motor design.

“90 to 93 percent of electric motors rely on magnets that are produced by rare earth metals,” Rory explains. “Harvard National Review reported that every ton of rare earth metals can create 2,000 tons of radioactive waste. Reducing that amount is a big win for the environment.”

Looking to raise funds for his new business, Rory also turned to TJ and the SBDC.

“TJ coached me for a number of competitions including the Accelerate Annual Conference in 2022 and the $75K Virginia Innovation Partnership Commonwealth (VIPC) Commercialization Fund Grant,” Rory adds. “We received funding from both.”

Torev Motors also received a $3,500 grant from VIPC Federal Grants; was one of four winners (out of 1,500 applicants) in the Global Automotive & Mobility Innovation Challenge (GAMIC) in April 2024; and one of three winners in the Summer 2024 EPIC (Energy Program for Innovation Clusters) Pitch Competition.

Recently Torev Motors surpassed $1 million in funding, which Rory says “will make a world of difference as we move into the development stage.”

“I credit TJ for telling me about the Virginia SBDC,” Rory continues. “Without the SBDC and ICAP, I wouldn’t have known about the VIPC that led to several funding grants. We wouldn’t be where we are today without ICAP and assistance we received from TJ.”