Y Combinator is a startup accelerator that invests in a large number of startups twice a year. It created a new model for funding startups. Twice a year, the company invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups. The startup accelerator works intensively with the companies for three months, to get them into the best possible shape and refine their pitch to investors. Each cycle culminates in Demo Day when the startups present their companies to a carefully selected, invite-only audience.

Y Combinator

Kima Ventures is one of the world's most active early-stage investors, investing in 2 to 3 startups per week all over the world; providing founders with funding, network, and support for them to reach the next steps of their journey. The firm invests from seed to Series A, mostly as lead investor but also working alongside other investors; backing ambitious founders who work hard to build awesome things that more and more people use everyday. The company helps them to build a great team, to learn very quickly, to keep the right focus and execute towards growth. Kima takes pride of itself in working side-by-side with entrepreneurs. They claim to understand that fundraising is only one step in the company’s journey, that’s why they take quick decisions and make the fundraising process as smooth as possible so the founders can get back to the work of building their business. Kima considers itself not only an investor, but a network of founders and experts sharing a pay it forward mindset. Headquartered in Paris with an office in London, the company was founded and backed by Xavier Niel, founder of Iliad and supporter of entrepreneurs through such projects as 42, Station F and 101projets. Over the last 5 years Kima has invested in over 400 startups in 24 different countries.

Kima Ventures

Collaborative Fund is an investment fund that provides funding to companies based on creativity and collaborative consumption. The fund centers around two macro themes which drives business innovation in the coming years: the growth of the creative class and the concept of collaborative consumption. Craig Shapiro founded it in New York in 2010.

Collaborative Fund

Empower tech entrepreneurs to build a better tomorrow, where business performance and sustainability coexist. Enter the orbit.

Ring Capital

Earth VC is a global climate tech venture capital firm dedicated to backing earth-changing deep tech startups that are key to decarbonizing Emerging Asia. Founded during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Earth VC was born from a shared belief that science and economics are our best solutions to fix the planet. Our bold vision is to foster a new era of investment that prioritizes protecting and preserving our planet over endless growth. Earth VC provides holistic support, from market bridging to Asia to key hirings and strategic fundraising guidance, ensuring that game-changing innovations get the backing they need to thrive. With a hands-on approach and a mission to decarbonize through breakthrough technologies, Earth VC is at the forefront of solving the climate crisis and driving sustainable progress in the Asia-Pacific region.

Earth Venture Capital

Hylight

Hylight inspects energy infrastructures and provide solutions that makes societies resilient to the effects of climate change.

Founded in 2022, HyLight is a French startup that has developed an innovative unmanned airship system for long-range aerial data collection and analysis. The company's flagship product, the HyLighter, is a hydrogen-powered airship drone capable of conducting inspections of energy infrastructure such as power lines, pipelines, and railways over extensive distances without emitting greenhouse gases.

Taking commercial activities to new heights

Commercial Drone Tech

SEA Digest: VinFast to enter PH; Thai Syn Pitarn nabs funds; Earth VC backs HyLight

Founded in 2022, HyLight is a French startup that has developed an innovative unmanned airship system for long-range aerial data collection and analysis. The company's flagship product, the HyLighter, is a hydrogen-powered airship drone capable of conducting inspections of energy infrastructure such as power lines, pipelines, and railways over extensive distances without emitting greenhouse gases.The HyLighter utilizes cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, high-definition cameras, and advanced sensors, to capture precise data and detect faults or anomalies. With a flight autonomy of up to 10 hours and a range of 350 km, the HyLighter offers unparalleled efficiency and reliability in aerial inspection.HyLight's airships are designed with hydrogen-electric propulsion, making them sustainable, silent, and efficient. In December 2022, HyLight partnered with H3 Dynamics to integrate the latter's aerospace-grade hydrogen fuel cells, the smallest and lightest in the world. This collaboration enabled HyLight to achieve a successful hydrogen-electric flight test campaign in Milan, Italy.Key customers and partnershipsHyLight has secured inspection contracts with major European energy infrastructure operators. Additionally, the company has formed strategic partnerships with notable accelerators and industry players, including Y Combinator and the University of California, Berkeley's SkyDeck accelerator. HyLight has also collaborated with Enedis, Europe's largest power line operator, to pilot its innovative aerial inspection solutions.

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

Hylight

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