Drone.VC Syndicate: This is a domain-specific syndicate built to discover and invest in prototype-phase companies working with drones. Investments are intended to be the first money in to these companies, often as early as time of incorporation. Applications are expected to cover a very wide range of geographies and industries, including farming, oil and gas, real estate, retail/delivery, and security/surveillance. They do not plan on investing in military-focused applications or weaponized platforms. As the founder of the world's largest hackerspace, Hacker Dojo, and Mexico's first seed fund for tech entreprenurs (Mexican.VC), David is well-connected to the global startup community. As an award-winning startup mentor, David has a rich history in mentoring successful startups, including naming Sean Parker's Plaxo (exit to Comcast for >$150m), acting as the lead advisor for Attassa ($Xmm to YouSendIt), advising Like.com (exit to Google for >$100m), and dozens of others.

Drone.VC

Right Side Capital Management is a venture capital firm that helps startups build their company. It invests exclusively in the pre-seed round of technology startups and makes 75-100 investment per year. The firms prefers to invest in diversified technology sectors such as the internet and cloud companies. RSCM was established in 2010 and is based in San Francisco, California.

Right Side Capital Management

Techstars is a global platform that provides investment and innovation. Through the Techstars Worldwide Entrepreneur Network, founders and their teams connect with other entrepreneurs, experts, mentors, alumni, investors, community leaders, and corporate partners who will help their companies grow. Techstars operates four divisions: Techstars Mentorship-Driven Accelerator Program supercharges success and Techstars Startup Programs inspire, educate, and connect entrepreneurs. Techstars Venture Capital Fund invests in innovative and disruptive companies. Techstars Corporate Innovation Partnerships help brands create products and services. Techstars' accelerator portfolio includes more than 1,000 companies with a market cap of $8.1 billion.

Techstars

Dronesmith Technologies

Dronesmith Technologies creates development tools that allow businesses to integrate drone applications into existing workflows. Our software-first solution allows developers to design, test, and iterate their applications in a simulated environment prior to deploying on drone hardware.  We help businesses who want to adopt drone technologies go to market faster by lowering the barrier for entry to robotics. Our technologies are being used to incorporate commercial solutions such as hazardous material detection, swarming, precision agriculture, entertainment, and much more. Our aim is to provide a breakthrough platform to power an entire ecosystem of next-generation drone solutions.

Dronesmith Technologies is a US-based company that designs and manufactures drone hardware and software solutions for the enterprise market. They specialize in drones for payload transportation and inspection applications. Dronesmith Technologies has a strong presence in Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Colombia. Their drone solutions cater to various industries, including oil and gas, renewable energy, and infrastructure.

Top 100 Drone Manufacturers In 2024: The Ultimate Guide

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Dronesmith

Dronesmith Technologies is a US-based company that designs and manufactures drone hardware and software solutions for the enterprise market. They specialize in drones for payload transportation and inspection applications. Dronesmith Technologies has a strong presence in Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Colombia. Their drone solutions cater to various industries, including oil and gas, renewable energy, and infrastructure.

SeekOps Inc. is a global leader in greenhouse gas emissions detection, quantification, and reporting solutions. The company deploys advanced sensor technology and state-of-the-art unmanned aerial systems equipped with its proprietary SeekIR sensors to detect, localize, and accurately quantify methane emissions. SeekOps' autonomous drones leverage parts-per-billion sensitive sensors and leverage autonomous operations for efficient, repeatable, and consistent greenhouse gas emission surveys, facilitating rapid leak detection and quantification (LDAQ).
SeekOps' technology has received regulatory approval from various authorities, including the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment for use as an Alternative Approved Instrument Measurement Method (Alt. AIMM) in February 2024, making it the first unmanned aerial system to receive such approval. In September 2022, SeekOps' technology was approved as part of an Alternative Fugitive Emission Management Program (Alt-FEMP) submitted by Repsol to the Alberta Energy Regulator.
The company's solutions are field-proven and have been deployed in emissions quantification surveys worldwide, supporting leading operators and meeting the highest standards, such as OGMP 2.0 and MiQ. In August 2023, SeekOps adapted NASA's technology, originally developed for the Mars Curiosity Rover, to measure methane emissions in the North Sea, demonstrating the versatility of its approach.
SeekOps' solutions have been instrumental in helping operators understand their emissions inventory and adopt cost-effective abatement tools, contributing to decarbonization efforts in the oil and gas industry.

SeekOps

Cando Drones is an Israeli company that provides advanced drone operations and management solutions. It specializes in organizing airspace, handling regulations, characterizing, selecting, and integrating drone systems, as well as managing ground logistics, training, and technical support. Cando Drones offers turnkey solutions that enable the exploitation of drone capabilities for various needs.
The company has demonstrated its expertise in delivering autonomous drone flights using different platforms. In April 2024, Cando Drones partnered with High Lander Aviation and Sentrycs to showcase an autonomous security solution at Caesarea Business Park. This system demonstrated rapid response protocols against simulated threats, utilizing High Lander's Orion drone fleet management platform.
Additionally, in April 2024, Cando Drones collaborated with High Lander to execute the first drone flight using Pelephone's new 5G MAX network, marking a significant milestone in drone connectivity and scalability in Israel. Cando Drones also played a pivotal role in the Israel National Drone Initiative, conducting various test flights across the country, including delivery flights, night flights, and traffic monitoring activities.

Cando Drones

MissionGO is a leading provider of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) solutions and services. The company specializes in critical infrastructure inspections and cargo delivery operations. MissionGO utilizes its advanced UAS platform, the MGV100, to perform comprehensive inspections of various infrastructure assets, including power lines, transmission poles, pipelines, and construction cranes. The MGV100 is a single-rotor, all-electric aircraft designed for long-endurance flights, with a range of up to 30 miles and a flight time exceeding one hour.MissionGO's infrastructure inspection services offer a safer, more reliable, and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional manual inspections. The company's UAS inspections minimize hazards, increase data quality and quantity, and provide detailed reports on asset conditions. MissionGO's cargo delivery operations involve transporting critical medical supplies, fresh produce, emergency kits, and other essential items to remote areas using its autonomous unmanned helicopters.In addition to its core services, MissionGO offers UAS training programs for first responders, helping them obtain FAA commercial pilot licenses and develop skills for various operational scenarios. The company has achieved significant milestones, including publishing the MGV100's FAA Airworthiness Criteria in the Federal Register in September 2022, a crucial step toward Type Certification and enabling advanced UAS operations.In October 2022, MissionGO secured a three-year, USD 50 million contract with Southern California Edison, one of the largest UAS services contracts globally, to inspect nearly 160,000 utility poles. This contract builds on MissionGO's successful partnership with Southern California Edison since 2019, during which the company conducted over 6,500 sorties and cataloged more than 1,200 flight hours, capturing data from 24,000 poles without any incidents.

MissionGo

Zing Drone Solutions is a company that specializes in developing innovative drone technology solutions. Their primary offering is the Z-RID, a proprietary Remote ID Broadcast Module that ensures compliance with FAA regulations for public safety and commercial drone operators. Launched in October 2023, the Z-RID received FAA Declaration of Compliance (DOC) Approval, making it compatible with various DJI enterprise and commercial drone models.
Recognizing the financial challenges faced by drone pilots due to the high costs of existing Remote ID modules, Zing Drone Solutions introduced the Z-RID Lite in January 2024. The Z-RID Lite is an affordable, stripped-down version of the original Z-RID, focusing solely on providing Remote ID compliance functionality. This innovative solution aims to make FAA regulation adherence accessible to all drone pilots, fostering a safer and more regulated airspace.
Zing Drone Solutions' commitment to innovation aligns with the needs of the drone community. The Z-RID Lite weighs only 30 grams and features GNSS positioning and Bluetooth four + five broadcasting capabilities, making it a lightweight and user-friendly solution for drone compliance.

Zing Drone Solutions

InDro Robotics is a leading Canadian company specializing in robotics research and development, as well as providing complex drone and ground robotic solutions, services, and training. Their expertise lies in engineering autonomous robots and drones for diverse applications, including complex operations, data collection, surveillance, and delivery services. InDro Robotics aims to make difficult work more efficient through innovative robotics.
The company serves as a manufacturer, integrator, and distributor of unmanned systems. For ground operations, they offer unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) from AgileX Robotics integrated with their proprietary InDro Commander technology. Additionally, they provide quadruped robots from Unitree Robotics equipped with the InDro Backpack integration. In the aerial domain, InDro Robotics distributes drones from various manufacturers and incorporates their InDro Pilot technology, enabling real-time data transfer over 5G for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions and onboard processing for autonomous operations.
InDro Robotics' solutions encompass a wide range of capabilities, including local computing, teleoperation, and autonomous functionality. Their robots can be outfitted with autonomy software developed in-house or tailored to clients' specific requirements. The company has completed over 7,000 mission hours, flown more than 4,000 kilometers, and executed over 400,000 safe and compliant flights across multiple countries.
In September 2023, InDro Robotics announced a strategic partnership with Invest Ottawa, taking over the management of Bayview Yards Prototyping Lab, rebranded as InDro Forge. This state-of-the-art facility offers prototyping services, including 3D metal printing, CNC machining, injection molding, and computational rendering, enabling clients to bring their ideas from concept to completion.

InDro Robotics

Startups that provide drone-based services for a variety of use cases  (excluding payload delivery)

Startups providing cloud-based software solutions for gathering data via drones and leverage AI to provide analytics and insights

Startups providing cloud-based platforms for managing drone-based activities

Startups providing other services relating to drone operations including drone hangars, charging systems, insurance, and pilot marketplaces

Startups that provide and end-to-end solution for drone based-applications. Typically also provides drone pilot training programmes and managed services

Provides solutions for the operation of drones in an urban environment

Dronesmith

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