Drone pilot and services platform DroneBase has today announced $12 million in Series B funding to expand its drone ops and services for enterprise. Backers include Union Square Ventures, Upfront Ventures, DJI, Hearst Ventures and Pritzker Group. The move brings DroneBase’s total funding to over $17 million to date.
100,000 Missions and Counting
DroneBase recently hit the milestone of 100,000 commercial drone missions flown for enterprise clients. These have been across various industries from real estate to insurance, construction and media.
According to a statement, DroneBase has grown its pilot community 10x year over year for the past two years. The platform has active pilots in all 50 states and in more than 60 countries. The breadth of the DroneBase network allows the company to turn around client missions in less than 48 hours anywhere in the United States.
“DroneBase has addressed two key challenges in the industry by providing reliable, affordable and scalable drone services for enterprises across industries, while offering opportunities for pilots of all skill sets with purposeful reasons to fly their drones,” said Jan Gasparic, Head of Enterprise Partnerships, DJI.
“This round marks DJI’s third investment in DroneBase through SkyFund, which demonstrates our confidence in their continued success in an industry that, while growing at a rapid pace, is just at the beginning of realizing its full potential.”
Investing in the Potential of AR
DroneBase’s latest capital investments will help the company develop AirCraft Pro, an enterprise-specific version of the augmented reality platform launched last year.
“We want DroneBase to have the best customer experience for both our enterprise clients and pilots, and that means automating the operations layer so both parties can focus on what they do best,” said Dan Burton, Co-Founder and CEO, DroneBase.
“We’re advancing how drones can make enterprises more efficient, and this new funding will allow us to make AirCraft Pro a reality.”
Since AirCraft’s launch on the DroneBase Pilot App, drone pilots have flown all around the world with it, placing hundreds of thousands of blocks in a unique display of drone creativity. Due to launch later this year, AirCraft Pro will enable companies to use AR technology for a wide variety of use cases.
Funding will also be put towards a revamp of DroneBase’s platform and API.
Keen to try out AirCraft before the pro version is launched? DroneBase recently unveiled their Pilot App on Android in the Google Play store, having previously only been available on Apple devices.
Malek Murison is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for tech trends and innovation. He handles product reviews, major releases and keeps an eye on the enthusiast market for DroneLife.
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