Keep pulling the thread on James Dyson.
Dyson established its own university, the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, to recruit and train engineers starting from the age of 17.
The investors of the Ballbarrow company rejected James Dyson's subsequent invention, the cyclonic vacuum cleaner, believing that if it were a viable idea, established manufacturers like Hoover and Electrolux would have already developed it.
Dyson invested 10 years to develop a new type of high-speed digital electric motor because existing vacuum motors were too large, heavy, and inefficient.
In 2014, James Dyson initiated an electric car project because he believed the auto industry's forecast of only 2% EV market share by 2030 was incorrect.
Dyson cancelled its electric car project after spending approximately £500 million (about $750 million) on research and development.
James Dyson bought out his partner Jeremy Fry's 49% stake in the vacuum cleaner venture for £45,000 after Fry wanted to exit due to an impending lawsuit with Amway.
Established vacuum cleaner manufacturers rejected Dyson's cyclonic technology partly because it threatened their profitable recurring revenue stream from selling disposable vacuum bags, a market estimated at $500 million annually.
The development of the first fully operational Dyson Dual Cyclone vacuum cleaner took 14 years, culminating on James Dyson's 45th birthday, May 2, 1992.
James Dyson built 5,127 prototypes of his cyclonic vacuum cleaner before developing a successful model.
James Dyson's mentor, Jeremy Fry, held a strong belief against hiring experienced people, preferring naive but enthusiastic individuals.
For seven years, Dyson was unable to find an academic partner for its university because established institutions viewed its model of paying students a salary as a competitive threat.
Students at the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology do not pay tuition, work at the company three days a week, attend classes two days a week, and are paid an annual salary.