We recently interviewed Azur Drones earlier this year, after they received authorization to fly autonomous drones in France. We spoke with Stephane Morelli, Azur’s Director General, who said at the time:“..the Skeyetech project is born of a technological intuition, ..has been made possible by patient and attentive investors, and ..is implemented by teams honed with security operations, who interface with our customers.”
Azur drones raised $10 million for its autonomous drone development and marketing, as announced last week. The group has raised nearly $23 million since 2016.
The following is from an Azur Drones press release:
Azur Drones, European leader in autonomous drones, announces that it has just completed 3 successive fundraising campaigns with a French private investor for a total amount of $10 million. The group has raised nearly $23 million in just 3 years. This new operation will contribute to the further industrialization of Skeyetech autonomous drone, support the company’s internationalization and maintain its technological and regulatory lead.
Pursuing internationalization to confirm its leadership
This new fundraising, which comes a few weeks after Nicolas Billecocq’s arrival as Chief Operating Officer, should enable Azur Drones to consolidate its leadership in the autonomous drone segment and support its international expansion. In particular, the company plans to strengthen its sales team dedicated to exports and open an office in Dubai.
The company thus wishes to make the autonomous drone the standard on the security market, in France and abroad. Based in Mérignac, Azur Drones collaborates with major clients in Europe and the Middle East and aims to win new contracts in these areas, as well as in the United States and Asia.
Maintaining a technological lead
A pioneer in drone-in-a-box systems, Azur Drones has been working on autonomous drone for more than 4 years. The company has developed the Skeyetech solution, a drone-in-a-box solution revolutionizing security over sensitive area.
“This exceptional and confident financial support will allow us to continue Research & Development on the Skeyetech system, and thus to maintain our decisive technological lead. This will involve new and innovative developments related to artificial intelligence to make our drone even more autonomous and add new operational functionalities. “, said Jean-Marc Crépin, CEO of Azur Drones.
Advancing drone regulation internationally
With these new funds, Azur Drones will be able to continue its efforts to advance drone regulations. Indeed, the company is working with civil aviation authorities to make the use of fully autonomous drones possible on a global scale.
At the beginning of the year, the Skeyetech UAV obtained the first approval from the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) for a fully automated drone with no certified pilot, a decisive advantage that constitutes a differentiating element on the market. It can fly in France over private areas, Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS), day or night, in urban areas, under simple supervision of a remote operator.
The company, which joined the Drone Alliance Europe last April, is already in discussion with other authorities to obtain equivalent approvals in several other countries and thus consolidate its market lead.
CEO DroneLife.com, DroneRacingLife.com, and CMO of Jobfordrones.com. Principle at Spalding Barker Strategies. Has enjoyed working with and around the commercial drone industry for the last 10 years. Attendance and speaker at Industry Events such as Commercial UAV, InterGeo, Interdrone and others. Proud father of two. Enjoys karate, Sherlock Holmes, and interesting things. Subscribe to all things drone at DroneLife here. Email is Harry@dronelife.com. Make Sure that you WhiteList us in your email to make sure you get our Newsletter. Editor1@dronelife.com.