What AirMap’s Series A Financing Means for the Drone Ecosystem
AirMap is helping make drones a part of everyday life. Millions of people are already benefiting from drones for recreation and for work, but these people are largely enthusiasts or professionals — people who have an interest in actually operating the drone. The potential for drones is much greater. Soon, people will be benefiting from drone-enabled services in their everyday lives, often without realizing it. AirMap is enabling this future by building the necessary infrastructure to support safe, efficient, orderly, reliable, and sustainable high-frequency drone operations in low-altitude airspace.
Innovators across the emerging drone ecosystem and across the world are building amazing products and services. For example, manufacturers and system integrators like DJI, 3DRobotics, Yuneec, Parrot, SenseFly, Airware, Kespry, Skycatch, Aeryon Labs, and CyPhy Works continue to innovate new and improved multi-copter and fixed-wing airframes and integrated sensor and software suites. The Open Source community, led by Dronecode Foundation, continues to improve on essential flight control and advanced capabilities. Software companies like DroneDeploy, Pix4D, KittyHawk, and Hover are delivering apps that make operating and collecting data from drones easier. Companies like Matternet, Google, Flirtey, and Amazon are advancing package delivery services. Innovative government agencies like NASA are working to develop standards for safe integration of drones into the airspace system. Universities around the world, including Stanford, MIT, and ETH, are discovering breakthrough technologies to advance robotics in the sky.
With the closing of our $15M Series A, AirMap is fueled up and ready to accelerate development of the airspace management system for drones. Together with our valued partners, we’re building the fabric that allows all of the drone innovations to take flight and to deliver value to people. We have built a world class team of technologists and aviation experts that are creating the most robust. reliable, and secure system. If you are interested in helping build industry-enabling tech that will soon touch millions, or perhaps billions, of lives, come join us!
For drone manufacturers and app developers, AirMap offers an SDK and API with a global dataset of airports, heliports, controlled airspace, special use (military) airspace, and other sensitive places like prisons and power plants. We also deliver temporary flight restrictions and weather information through the API. These tools make it easy for drone operators to fly safely.
For airports and other stakeholders that have responsibility for safety and aviation operations, we offer a Digital Notice and Awareness System, or D-NAS. More than 50 airports are piloting the D-NAS product, including Houston Intercontinental, Denver International, and Columbus Air Force Base. With D-NAS, drone operators can give digital notice of their flight operations in proximity to airports, and airport officials gain robust situational awareness. Read more about D-NAS in this article from the Washington Post.
With Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations soon to be released in the United States, we anticipate a dramatic increase in the number of entrepreneurs and small businesses who will find new ways to deliver commercial services with drones. AirMap’s systems will support those operations, in addition to the millions of recreational operations already benefiting from our services. As package delivery and other beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) use cases begin gaining acceptance over the coming months and years, AirMap’s tools will help accelerate their adoption by creating a safe and efficient operating environment.
We are backed by leading global investment firms that understand the power of technologies in positively influencing human lives. We are proud to call General Catalyst Partners, Lux Capital, Social Capital, Bullpen Capital, Pritzker Group, and TenOneTen Ventures our partners. We are also honored to have several incredible individuals as investors, including Sky Dayton, founder of Earthlink and Boingo, and Thomas Lehrman, founder of Gerson Lehrman Group. We are also pleased to be welcoming three respected executives to our Board of Advisors. These include Bill Ayer, former Chairman & CEO of Alaska Airlines, Richard Deakin, former CEO of National Air Traffic Services (NATS) (the air navigation service provider for the United Kingdom), and Graham Richard, former mayor of Ft. Wayne, Indiana and current CEO of Advanced Energy Economy.
The entire AirMap team is committed to the success of our partners and this industry. If you’re not already an AirMap partner, reach out and let us know how we can support your endeavor.
