JetSmarter was founded in 2013 by Sergey Petrossov, a longtime South Floridian born in Moscow and a 2009 University of Florida graduate. The idea for JetSmarter came to him while splitting the cost for a private jet with a group of friends. The lengthy process to charter a plane stunned him — there were forms to be printed, signed and faxed, and several phone calls in between.

 “I said, ‘Hold on, you’re describing a stock transaction from the 1980s,’” he recalled while speaking at a June discussion panel at Broward College.

 It made him think: There’s got to be an easier way.

 After several funding rounds, JetSmarter, which operates through an app like Uber does, scored about $50 million in capital and officially launched, offering users easier access to private air travel.

 On Monday JetSmarter announced the close of a $105 million Series C round, making the private jet platform a “unicorn” company — valued at over $1 billion.

The Fort Lauderdale-based company said it plans to funnel the capital to expanding growth, both within the U.S. and internationally, particularly into the Latin American and Asian markets.

 The capital injection will also allow JetSmarter to gain access to more planes and carrier partners around the world, in addition to adding new “JetShuttle” routes — think UberPOOL for private jets — to key cities, the company says.

 The round included both existing backers, such as rapper Jay Z and the Saudi Royal family, and “strategic investors,” including a number of Middle East-based equity funds, the Miami Herald reported.

 JetSmarter has since been recognized by Gov. Rick Scott as one of four Florida aerospace and aviation companies set to bring, altogether, 1,200 jobs to the state. It’s also brought on to its management team an array of experienced executives, including Niche Media Holdings founder Jason Binn and former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.