Drone Startups Grab Record Cash

By Thomas Black for Bloomberg Business:  Startup drone makers are finding record amounts of funding as venture capitalists prowl for early winners in what may become an $82 billion industry.

From Silicon Valley to New York, firms including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Lightspeed Venture Partners and ff Venture Capital are lining up behind unmanned aerial vehicle companies. Google Inc., General Electric Co. and Qualcomm Inc. also are jumping in with cash.

“Everybody wants to invest in drones because they’re seeing not only the potential but actual results right now,” said Jon Ollwerther, vice president of marketing and operations at drone builder AeroCine, which operates from a waterfront Brooklyn warehouse with a view of the Statue of Liberty. “We have said no to money.”

There’s more than ever to go around. Investors have pumped $210 million into businesses like SZ DJI Technology Co. and DroneDeploy so far in 2015, almost double the total for all of last year, according to data compiler CrunchBase. The pace has quickened as U.S. regulators grant more exemptions for limited commercial operations, reassuring financial backers that they’ll see a payoff from their support.  Cont'd...

Comments (0)

This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.


Post A Comment

You must be logged in before you can post a comment. Login now.

Featured Product

Bota Systems - The SensONE 6-axis force torque sensor for robots

Bota Systems - The SensONE 6-axis force torque sensor for robots

Our Bota Systems force torque sensors, like the SensONE, are designed for collaborative and industrial robots. It enables human machine interaction, provides force, vision and inertia data and offers "plug and work" foll all platforms. The compact design is dustproof and water-resistant. The ISO 9409-1-50-4-M6 mounting flange makes integrating the SensONE sensor with robots extremely easy. No adapter is needed, only fasteners! The SensONE sensor is a one of its kind product and the best solution for force feedback applications and collaborative robots at its price. The SensONE is available in two communication options and includes software integration with TwinCAT, ROS, LabVIEW and MATLAB®.