DroneDeploy Raises $2m to launch to Cloud Control for Commercial Drones
DroneDeploy offers a Cloud platform to simplify commercial drones. They are enabling farmers, contractors and researchers to create aerial maps, and 3D models with just 2 taps on a smartphone.
September, 18, 2014 (San Francisco, CA) DroneDeploy launches their 4G powered drone control product out of beta, making it possible for commercial customers to control their drones over the internet.
There is a lot of buzz around drones, but current commercial solutions are very complex and make it difficult to get actionable data. Software hasn’t caught up with the hardware and there is no simple way to coordinate between drones or even their onboard sensors.
As a result, even the savviest business owners can’t take advantage of this disruptive technology. 
DroneDeploy is the first software solution that makes drones simple to use tools for business. Their cloud-native platform makes drones smarter, and an onboard 4G connection means data acquisition is seamless. Data is automatically uploaded to the cloud and processed during flight, making it accessible anywhere in the world without the clunky ground infrastructure and radios used today.
Farmers, contractors and researchers are already using DroneDeploy as an easy-to-use solution to get real-time data from drones. The platform is a web-app so can be used on computers, tablets or smart device to help make smart business decisions.
Farmers and agronomists are some of the first users of DroneDeploy, who are using drones, to boost yields, investigate crop stress, and increase overall efficiency. The DroneDeploy platform enables them to get a drone in the air, and receive their results within 30 minutes, with just two taps on a smartphone.
Contractors and Surveys are also adopting the technology to perform site assessments and attain high precision maps. The drones are able to fly, capture photos, and even assess the pictures for blur and takes replacements where applicable. These photos are before automatically processing to create maps and 3D models, all while the drone is in flight. Contractors can then instantly share the data with clients for approval.
DroneDeploy have raised a $2million seed led by SoftTech VC, with participation from DataCollective, Redpoint, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Angelpad, where they were incubated.
Led by CEO Mike Winn, with founders, Nick Pilkington and Jono Millin, the company graduated from Thomas Korte’s Angelpad in May 2013 and has grown to nine employees.
