Radar · Drones in San Francisco
Best Drones Companies in San Francisco, United States
The 52 best Drones companies in San Francisco, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Zipline.
By Rohit KhannaTrends & Stories
52companies tracked
$1.8Bdisclosed funding
1unicorns
27have raised
FLIAR INTELLIGENCE · DRONES × SAN FRANCISCO
Our analysis of 50 Drones companies
$8.9b in tracked funding; 92% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
50companies analysed
92%cloud-native stacks
2025funding peak (by rounds)
5unicorns
2016median founding year
404kcombined LinkedIn audience
68%of audience held by top 3
2companies hiring publicly (12 mo)
Ranked: Best Drones companies in San Francisco
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zipline 🦄 Provider of drones for on-demand delivery services 96Moat top 15%Funding top 19%Talent top 19%Market top 23% All 10 signals ▾Moattop 15% Fundingtop 19% Talenttop 19% Markettop 23% Producttop 24% Innovationtop 25% Growthtop 26% Customerstop 26% Techtop 32% Globaltop 36% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 9/10 · Unicorn Funding: Raised $900M · 11 rounds over 14 yrs (0.8/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 96/100 | $900M | 38 mo ago | Series F | 496 | Keller Rinaudo Cliffton Co-Founder & CEO | StoryblokApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+26 | — | — |
| 2 | Swift Navigation Provider of precise positioning solutions for automotive, mobile, and mass markets 74Funding top 19%Innovation top 20%Patents top 22%Tech top 24% All 10 signals ▾Fundingtop 19% Innovationtop 20% Patentstop 22% Techtop 24% Moattop 26% Producttop 29% Growthtop 45% Newstop 46% Marketbottom 47% Globalbottom 42% Funding: Raised $200M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 12 yrs (0.5/yr) Innovation: 129 patents (top 9% of patent-holders) · 97 filings since 2022 vs 31 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 74/100 | $200M | 12 mo ago | Series E | 102 102 → 130 (+27%) | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+40 | 129 patents Real-time GNSS correction, integrity monitoring, and outlier mitigation for precise positioning | 1 award |
| 3 | DroneDeploy Provider of a cloud software platform for commercial drones | $142M | 65 mo ago | Series E | 238 238 → 375 (+58%) | Jono Millin Founder | WebflowSalesforceWistia+29 | 21 patents Patents concentrated in computing, sensing & instrumentation | 1 job opening |
| 4 | Dedrone Provider of AI-based smart airspace security solutions | $130M | 48 mo ago | Acquired | 48 | Ingo Seebach Co-Founder & COO | Webflow EcommerceWebflowSalesforce+24 | 61 patents UAV detection, tracking, and countermeasure technologies using RF, radar, and signal analysis | — |
| 5 | Airware Develops an integrated platform for delivering drone-based solutions to enterprise clients | $116M | 113 mo ago | Acqui-Hired | 55 | — | — | 78 patents Optical spectroscopy and NDIR sensing technologies for liquid analysis and measurement | — |
| 6 | Elroy Air Autonomous aircraft systems for cargo delivery purposes 62Growth top 18%News top 20%Funding top 27%Moat top 31% All 10 signals ▾Growthtop 18% Newstop 20% Fundingtop 27% Moattop 31% Talenttop 34% Partnerstop 40% Producttop 49% Techbottom 47% Marketbottom 40% Globalbottom 39% Growth: Headcount 18 → 48 (+167%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo News: 6 BI events in 12 mo (of 31 tracked, 6 types) · +200% YoY rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $110M | 20 mo ago | Series B | 48 48 → 45 (-6%) | Clint Cope Chief Product Officer & Co-Founder | Apple iCloud MailGoogle WorkspaceTailwind CSS+10 | — | 2 launchs · 2 partnerships |
| 7 | Skycatch Developer of drone automation and data analysis software platform solutions | $74M | 64 mo ago | Series B | 10 | Christian Sanz CEO | Node.jsSalesforceHeadless UI+19 | 46 patents UAV aerial photogrammetry: precise camera positioning, 3D mapping, mission planning, stockpile analytics | — |
| 8 | Corvus Robotics Autonomous drone systems for warehouse inventory management and disinfection 35Product top 32%Funding top 34%Innovation top 37%Patents top 39% All 11 signals ▾Producttop 32% Fundingtop 34% Innovationtop 37% Patentstop 39% Moattop 42% Growthtop 48% Newsbottom 42% Techbottom 41% Talentbottom 40% Globalbottom 39% Marketbottom 25% Product: 1 product launch event in 12 mo, 1 the year before · 12 distinct product lines Funding: Raised $28.1M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 9 yrs (0.3/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 35/100 | $28M | 22 mo ago | Series A | 10 | Mohammed Kabir Co-Founder & CTO | BootstrapCloudflareNetlify+16 | 11 patents Autonomous material handling robots and aerial drone logistics, including navigation, docking, and extreme‑temp operation. | — |
| 9 | Hivemapper Network of contributors providing real-time street-level mapping data and applications 64AI top 15%Growth top 28%Tech top 28%Funding top 33% All 12 signals ▾AItop 15% Growthtop 28% Techtop 28% Fundingtop 33% Customerstop 34% Talenttop 41% Producttop 46% Moattop 47% Innovationbottom 40% Globalbottom 37% Marketbottom 34% Patentsbottom 29% AI: Holds AI/ML patents (G06N-family CPC) Growth: Web rank 10,000,000 → 5,000,000 YoY · Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 64/100 | $23M | 13 mo ago | Series B | 23 23 → 43 (+87%) | Ariel Seidman Co-Founder | SentryZendeskNode.js+19 | 2 patents 3D geo-registered mapping from imagery for autonomous navigation | — |
| 10 | Sunflower Labs Provider of AI-driven home security solutions using smart lighting and drones 62Funding top 31%Innovation top 35%Growth top 35%Patents top 36% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 31% Innovationtop 35% Growthtop 35% Patentstop 36% Moattop 37% Talenttop 38% Techtop 43% Newstop 44% AItop 45% Globalbottom 39% Marketbottom 34% Funding: Raised $22.1M across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 10 yrs (0.5/yr) Innovation: 18 patents (top 54% of patent-holders) · 5 filings since 2022 vs 3 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $22M | 8 mo ago | Series B | 30 | Chris Eheim Founder + CTO | Node.jsNext.jsstyled-components+10 | 18 patents Autonomous multicopter drones for security surveillance, auto‑landing, and sensor‑network integration | — |
| 11 | Mavrx Real-time data driven drone imagery and geoanalytics for agriculture | $12M | 118 mo ago | Acquired | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | AgroScout Provider of crop scouting solutions | $11M | 59 mo ago | Series A | 20 | Simcha Shore Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+21 | — | — |
| 13 | Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering Developer of autonomous underwater drones 27Talent top 38%Funding top 48%Global bottom 48%Tech bottom 45% All 5 signals ▾Talenttop 38% Fundingtop 48% Globalbottom 48% Techbottom 45% Marketbottom 31% Talent: 2 named leaders on record · 2 C-suite/founder profiles curated Funding: Raised $9.5M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 2 yrs (1.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 27/100 | $10M | 16 mo ago | Series A | — | Jamie Wedderburn Co-Founder | Node.jsTailwind CSSReact+9 | — | — |
| 14 | Vantage Robotics Creates unmanned aircraft systems | $9M | 38 mo ago | Series B | 19 19 → 34 (+79%) | Joe Niekerk Co-Founder & CTO | — | 23 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | — |
| 15 | MightyFly Offers autonomous drone vehicles providing end to end logistics services 35Patents top 39%Funding top 40%Innovation top 41%Moat top 42% All 12 signals ▾Patentstop 39% Fundingtop 40% Innovationtop 41% Moattop 42% Growthtop 45% Talentbottom 49% Newsbottom 45% Productbottom 45% Techbottom 42% Globalbottom 37% Partnersbottom 35% Marketbottom 24% Patents: 8 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 6 filings since 2022 vs 2 in 2017-21 Funding: Raised $5.1M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 5 yrs (0.6/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 35/100 | $5M | 5 mo ago | Series A | 10 10 → 14 (+40%) | Manal Habib Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+20 | 8 patents Autonomous drone logistics with payload transport and aerial collision‑avoidance systems | — |
| 16 | Avion Developer of drones for delivery | $5M | 35 mo ago | Deadpooled | 21 | Brook A Co-Founder & CEO | — | — | — |
| 17 | Theseus GPS denied navigation for drones | $5M | 15 mo ago | Seed | — | Ian Laffey Co-Founder | WebflowGSAPLenis+12 | 4 patents AI-driven spinal surgery planning and pedicle screw placement prediction systems | — |
| 18 | Airphrame Platform offering aerial imaging and spatial data capture | $4M | 144 mo ago | Series A | 17 | Bret Kugelmass Founder | — | 10 patents Autonomous UAV flight control algorithms and navigation systems for unmanned aerial vehicles. | — |
| 19 | Ware Provider of cloud and computer-visioned drones for warehouse automation | $2M | 69 mo ago | Acquired | 37 | — | — | 74 patents Quantum computing hardware and algorithms for quantum chemistry, machine learning, and linear algebra | — |
| 20 | Tensor Flight AI-driven property data and aerial image analytics solutions for multiple industries | $2M | 57 mo ago | Series A | 36 | Robert Kozikowski Chief Product Officer | WordPressMySQLPHP+26 | — | — |
| 21 | Converge Provider of AI-powered software for commercial drones | $1M | 102 mo ago | Seed | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Aerobotics7 Developer of technology for landmine detection and neutralization | $1M | 14 mo ago | Seed | 10 | Harshwardhansinh Zala Co-Founder & CEO | WebflowAmazon Web Servicescore-js+8 | 3 patents Aerial UAV-based detection and neutralization of landmines and unexploded ordnance | — |
| 23 | Hoversurf Developer of commercial drones and electric aircraft | $210K | 117 mo ago | Seed | 20 | — | Cart FunctionalityWix eCommerceWix+17 | 18 patents VTOL aircraft control, safety, and maneuverability systems for vertical takeoff/landing. | — |
| 24 | Buoyant Provider of autonomous drones for logistics | $125K | 58 mo ago | Seed | 1 | — | — | 3 patents Docking hardware and flexible fender supports for marine vessels | — |
Top 12 Drones companies in San Francisco
#1
Series E · San Francisco, California · founded 2012 · 102 employees$200Mraised▾
Series E · San Francisco, California · founded 2012 · 102 employees
Provider of precise positioning solutions for automotive, mobile, and mass markets. The company delivers GNSS positioning solutions designed for autonomous applications. It offers a suite of positioning solutions that are accurate, affordable, easily integrated, reliable, and secure. The company designs and assembles products to benefit customers across the globe.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 74how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 19%Innovation
top 20%Patents
top 22%Tech
top 24%Moat
top 26%Product
top 29%Funding: Raised $200M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 12 yrs (0.5/yr) · Last round Series E (Jul 2025)
Innovation: 129 patents (top 9% of patent-holders) · 97 filings since 2022 vs 31 in 2017-21 · 12 product lines
Patents: 129 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 97 filings since 2022 vs 31 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Audience (LinkedIn): 11k LinkedIn followers — 2.6% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Jul 2025Series E$50M
- Oct 2022Series D$100M
- Feb 2021Series C$50M
- Jun 2017Series B$34M
Investors
First Round Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Eclipse, EPIQ, Global Brain, KDDI Open Innovation Fund
Tech stack
Amazon SesAmazon Web ServicesAtlassian StatuspageBootstrapCart FunctionalityCloudflare
#2
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2016 · 30 employees$22.1Mraised▾
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2016 · 30 employees
Provider of AI-driven home security solutions using smart lighting and drones. The smart lights are integrated into a stick form factor that also contains motion sensors to detect intruders. The stick can be stuck on the grounds of a house and when a trespasser is detected. When unusual activity is detected, the companion drone can be sent to collect video. The drone is a quadcopter that flies autonomously and records video using a combined IR and optical camera.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 62how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 31%Innovation
top 35%Growth
top 35%Patents
top 36%Moat
top 37%Talent
top 38%Funding: Raised $22.1M across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 10 yrs (0.5/yr) · Last round Series B (Nov 2025)
Innovation: 18 patents (top 54% of patent-holders) · 5 filings since 2022 vs 3 in 2017-21 · Deep-tech classification: Tech Hardware
Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Audience (LinkedIn): 6k LinkedIn followers
Funding rounds
- Nov 2025Series B$16M
- Dec 2023Series A$1.5M
- Jan 2022Series A$15M
- 2019Seed—
Founders & team
Investors
General Catalyst, Stanley Ventures, Gentian Investments, Drone Fund, All Turtles, Pbfs.com
Tech stack
Framer SitesGoogle MapsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle WorkspaceHstsHttp/3
#3
Series A · San Francisco, California · founded 2019 · 10 employees$5.1Mraised▾
Series A · San Francisco, California · founded 2019 · 10 employees
Offers autonomous drone vehicles providing end to end logistics services. It provides users with a platform to control and manage their fleets as well.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 35how this company ranks against its industry peers
Patents
top 39%Funding
top 40%Innovation
top 41%Moat
top 42%Growth
top 45%Talent
bottom 49%Patents: 8 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 6 filings since 2022 vs 2 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2025
Funding: Raised $5.1M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 5 yrs (0.6/yr) · Last round Series A (Feb 2026)
Innovation: 8 patents (top 73% of patent-holders) · 6 filings since 2022 vs 2 in 2017-21 · Deep-tech classification: Tech Hardware
Audience (LinkedIn): 5k LinkedIn followers
Funding rounds
- Feb 2026Series A$10M
- May 2023Grant (prize money)$150K
- Apr 2021Seed$5.1M
Founders & team
Investors
500 Global, At One Ventures, Global Founders Capital, Graph Ventures, Halogen Ventures, Michigan Economic Development
Tech stack
CloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-JsDiviGodaddyGoogle Analytics
#4
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2016 · 48 employees$109.5Mraised▾
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2016 · 48 employees
Autonomous aircraft systems for cargo delivery purposes. It developed a prototype featuring rotor-based vertical takeoff and landing and fixed-wing cruise flight with a hybrid powertrain. It offers various features, including reduced delivery times, minimal human error, enhanced delivery accuracy, and improved safety. It enables users to optimize routes, reduce fuel consumption, and potentially reshape urban infrastructure and logistics, and more.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 62how this company ranks against its industry peers
Growth
top 18%News
top 20%Funding
top 27%Moat
top 31%Talent
top 34%Partners
top 40%Growth: Headcount 18 → 48 (+167%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo
News: 6 BI events in 12 mo (of 31 tracked, 6 types) · +200% YoY · 2 high-value events (IPO/M&A/funding/contracts) in 12 mo
Funding: Raised $110M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 9 yrs (0.7/yr) · Last round Series B (Oct 2024)
Audience (LinkedIn): 20k LinkedIn followers — 5.0% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 2 product launches · 2 partnerships (incl. Federal Aviation Administration) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Oct 2024Series B$6.6M
- Jan 2024Series B$48.9M
- Aug 2021Series A$40M
- Apr 2020Seed$6.8M
Founders & team
Investors
Precursor Ventures, Lemnos, Haystack, 122 West Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Levitate Capital
Tech stack
Amazon CloudfrontAmazon S3Amazon Web ServicesApple Icloud MailAstroCloudflare
#5
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2015 · 23 employees$23Mraised▾
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2015 · 23 employees
Network of contributors providing real-time street-level mapping data and applications. The network incentivizes the collection of imagery and verification of outputs. Data usage requires the redemption of tokens, a portion of which are permanently removed from circulation. Applications leverage geospatial data for various commercial and enterprise purposes.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 64how this company ranks against its industry peers
AI
top 15%Growth
top 28%Tech
top 28%Funding
top 33%Customers
top 34%Talent
top 41%AI: Holds AI/ML patents (G06N-family CPC)
Growth: Web rank 10,000,000 → 5,000,000 YoY · Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Tech: 36 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Alb, Amazon Cloudfront · Devops: Envoy
Audience (LinkedIn): 13k LinkedIn followers — 3.2% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
- Jun 2025Series B—
- Apr 2022Series A$18M
- Nov 2015Seed$3M
Founders & team
Investors
Multicoin Capital, Solana Ventures, Craft Ventures, Shine Capital, 75 & Sunny, Spark Capital
Tech stack
Amazon AlbAmazon CloudfrontAmazon Web ServicesAws Certificate ManagerCloudflareCloudflare Bot Management
#6
Series A · San Francisco, California · founded 2023$9.5Mraised▾
Series A · San Francisco, California · founded 2023
Developer of autonomous underwater drones. It combines drones, advanced AI, high persistence, and robotics to transform how we monitor and protect the oceans.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 27how this company ranks against its industry peers
Talent
top 38%Funding
top 48%Global
bottom 48%Tech
bottom 45%Market
bottom 31%Talent: 2 named leaders on record · 2 C-suite/founder profiles curated
Funding: Raised $9.5M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 2 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Series A (Mar 2025)
Global: Investors from 1 country beyond United States
Audience (LinkedIn): 6k LinkedIn followers
Funding rounds
- Mar 2025Series A$7.5M
- Nov 2024Seed$2M
Founders & team
Investors
Lowercarbon Capital, Superorganism, ReGen Ventures
#7
Series A · San Francisco, California · founded 2017 · 10 employees$28.1Mraised▾
Series A · San Francisco, California · founded 2017 · 10 employees
Autonomous drone systems for warehouse inventory management and disinfection. It provides unmanned aerial vehicles that scan pallet labels on racks. It offers solutions for cycle counting, putaway audits, and supply chain management. It develops autonomous indoor drones and performs drone-based warehouse inventory tracking and analysis.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 35how this company ranks against its industry peers
Product
top 32%Funding
top 34%Innovation
top 37%Patents
top 39%Moat
top 42%Growth
top 48%Product: 1 product launch event in 12 mo, 1 the year before · 12 distinct product lines · Company stage: Series A
Funding: Raised $28.1M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 9 yrs (0.3/yr) · Last round Series A (Sep 2024)
Innovation: 11 patents (top 65% of patent-holders) · 10 filings since 2022 vs 1 in 2017-21 · 2 new-product events in 24 mo
Audience (LinkedIn): 8k LinkedIn followers
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 product launches announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Sep 2024Series A$18M
- Jul 2023Seed$10.1M
- Nov 2017Grant (prize money)$50K
Founders & team
Investors
Spero Ventures, S2G Investments, One Way Ventures, F7 Ventures, Y Combinator, Arch Grants
Tech stack
BootstrapCdnjsCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-JsFont Awesome
#8
Zipline 🦄Series F · San Francisco, California · founded 2011 · 496 employees$900Mraised▾
Zipline 🦄
Series F · San Francisco, California · founded 2011 · 496 employees
Provider of an automated drone delivery service intended for the distribution of blood and other medical supplies. The company leverages proprietary fixed-wing drones to facilitate deliveries of vaccines and medicines to hospitals and health centers, enabling the medical community and patients in remote areas with instant access to vital supplies.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 96how this company ranks against its industry peers
Moat
top 15%Funding
top 19%Talent
top 19%Market
top 23%Product
top 24%Innovation
top 25%Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 9/10 · Unicorn
Funding: Raised $900M · 11 rounds over 14 yrs (0.8/yr) · Last round round (May 2023)
Talent: Analyst team rating 5/5 · 5 named leaders on record
Audience (LinkedIn): 150k LinkedIn followers — 37.1% of this cohort's audience · 236 engagements/post (4.2× cohort median)
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 product launches announced in 12 mo
Founders & team
Investors
Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures, Katalyst Ventures, a16z, USTDA, Fidelity Investments
Tech stack
Amazon Web ServicesCore-JsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle WorkspaceHstsIubenda
#9
Seed · San Francisco, California · founded 2024$4.8Mraised▾
Seed · San Francisco, California · founded 2024
GPS denied navigation for drones. It can be retrofit onto any drone that simulates a GPS. It uses cameras and an accelerometer or gyroscope as well as reference satellite imagery for positioning.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 5k LinkedIn followers
Funding rounds
- Apr 2025Seed$4.3M
- 2024Seed$500K
Founders & team
Investors
Y Combinator, First Round Capital, Lux Capital
Tech stack
CalendlyCloudflareGoogle Font ApiGoogle Hosted LibrariesGsapHsts
#10
Seed · San Francisco, California · founded 2016 · 10 employees$1.1Mraised▾
Seed · San Francisco, California · founded 2016 · 10 employees
Developer of technology for landmine detection and neutralization. This technology offers faster, more accurate, and safer alternatives to traditional methods. It detects modern, plastic-based landmines and explosives, enabling precise positioning and safe, remote detonation. Additionally, the company provides content aggregation, lab services, and Web3 project development services. These services encompass content strategy, processing, and delivery; video and audio editing; and NFT creation and implementation.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 2k LinkedIn followers
Hiring: 3 hiring posts in 12 mo (public) · hiring: Mid-Level Machine Learning Engineer, Full Stack Engineer
Activity: 1 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- May 2025Seed$1.1M
Founders & team
Investors
Gujarat University Startup and Entrepreneurship Council
#11
Acquired · San Francisco, California · founded 2014 · 48 employees$130Mraised▾
Acquired · San Francisco, California · founded 2014 · 48 employees
Provider of AI-based smart airspace security solutions. It provides users with RF sensors to detect, identify, and locate various drones in real-time, based on parameters, such as noise, shape, and movement patterns. It also has a machine learning-based drone library to automate the protection of airspaces against unauthorized drones. The sensor can also be coupled with cameras to save images and videos for providing crucial evidence of the threat intrusion.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 25k LinkedIn followers — 6.1% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
- Jul 2022Series C$30M
- Dec 2021Series C$30.5M
- Oct 2020Series B$12.1M
- Dec 2019Series B$27.4M
Founders & team
Investors
TempoCap, Felicis Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Axon, Aqton, Target Partners
Tech stack
Amazon Web ServicesCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-JsDocusignFont Awesome
#12
Series E · San Francisco, California · founded 2013 · 238 employees$142Mraised▾
Series E · San Francisco, California · founded 2013 · 238 employees
DroneDeploy provides a cloud software platform for commercial drones. It enables businesses to collect, manage & interpret drone data and also features imagery & analysis, 3D modeling & other capabilities from multiple drones remotely. Also offers a flight app compatible with iOS & Android devices to capture maps, photos, panoramas, and videos. It has applications across different industries, including agriculture, construction, mining, inspection, and surveying.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 101k LinkedIn followers — 24.9% of this cohort's audience
Hiring: 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public) · hiring: Senior Software Engineer, Lead Software Engineer, 3D Computer Vision
Funding rounds
- Feb 2021Series E$50M
- Nov 2019Series D$35M
- Jun 2018Series C$25M
- Aug 2016Series B$20M
Founders & team
Investors
AirTree, Bessemer Venture Partners, Scale Venture Partners, AngelPad, Frontline Ventures, Emergence Capital
Tech stack
Alpine.JsAtlassian StatuspageCdnjsCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-Js
Funding & investor landscape
$1.8Btotal disclosed funding
25companies funded
78disclosed rounds
0rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
Y Combinator5 rounds
Notable founders
Chris Eheim
Founder + CTO · Sunflower Labs
Alex Pachikov
Co-Founder & CEO · Sunflower Labs
Manal Habib
Founder & CEO · MightyFly
Clint Cope
Chief Product Officer & Co-Founder · Elroy Air
David Merrill
Co-Founder & CEO · Elroy Air
Ariel Seidman
Co-Founder · Hivemapper
Jamie Wedderburn
Co-Founder · Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering
Will Obrien
Co-Founder · Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering
Mohammed Kabir
Co-Founder & CTO · Corvus Robotics
Keller Rinaudo Cliffton
Co-Founder & CEO · Zipline
William Hetzler
Co-Founder · Zipline
Ian Laffey
Co-Founder · Theseus
Prism market signals · United States · country-scoped Prism corpus, 738,292 docs
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Drones coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
RESEARCH SIGNALS · United States
How research on Drones & UAVs is moving in the United States
A read on the academic research around Drones & UAVs — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 6,386 United States-affiliated papers.
research sentiment over time
200820172026
enthusiastic · positive · guarded tone
Tone is overwhelmingly optimistic and intensifying — the enthusiastic (strongly-positive) share moved 26% → 51% across 2008–2026.
top research entities
- Purdue University West Lafayette205
- Carnegie Mellon University115
- University of Florida113
- Virginia Tech109
- North Carolina State University109
leading researchers
Mostafa Hassanalian · Jones, Benjamin · Tape, Kenneth · İsmail Güvenç · Walid Saad · Freederia AI Researcher · Masoud Gheisari · Ezuma, Martins
▲
Breakthroughs1,907 · 30%
▲ 21%→31% share
▲1.5× share momentum2 median citations78% since 2021mostly methods-led
Computer security research is surging — papers jumped from 6 to 99, with reinforcement learning and scalability newly emerging at 74 and 86 papers.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Computer vision11→104
- Computer security6→99
- Real-time computing8→99
- Key (lock)2→89
- Scalability5→86
Newly emergingReinforcement learning 0→74 · Trajectory 0→67 · Modular design 0→33
Landmark Vehicle Routing Problems for Drone Delivery · 1,199 cites
◆
Advancements2,371 · 37%
▲ 32%→38% share
▲1.2× share momentum2 median citations75% since 2021mostly methods-led
Remote sensing advancements are intensifying — papers rose from 8 to 123, alongside newly emerging quadcopter and object detection research.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Remote sensing8→123
- Aeronautics13→115
- Computer vision5→106
- Key (lock)4→92
- Real-time computing12→99
Newly emergingReinforcement learning 0→54 · Object detection 0→43 · Quadcopter 0→38
Landmark Drone Small Cells in the Clouds: Design, Deployment and Performance Analysis · 655 cites
▼
Concerns1,144 · 18%
▼ 35%→16% share
▼0.5× share momentum2 median citations68% since 2021mostly empirical
Concern research is cooling overall (35%→16% field-share) despite computer security papers quadrupling from 20 to 84.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Computer security20→84
- Aeronautics22→77
- Key (lock)8→62
- Robot6→40
- Aviation11→43
Newly emergingPopulation 0→20 · Resilience (materials science) 0→17 · Reliability (semiconductor) 0→16
Landmark Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): A Survey on Civil Applications and Key Research Challenges · 2,157 cites
RESEARCH HOTSPOTS · United States
Where drones uav is researched across United States
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Boston185 · +0.56
SF Bay Area162 · +0.49
New York144 · +0.41
Pittsburgh132 · +0.53
Los Angeles100 · +0.57
Atlanta87 · +0.47
San Diego69 · +0.53
Ann Arbor65 · +0.42
Seattle52 · +0.50
Philadelphia49 · +0.32
PATENT SIGNAL · United States
Who's filing drones uav patents in the United States
United States drones uav patent filing is accelerating — 104,770 filings from 8,000 assignees (2016–2025), led by Boeing, BELL Helicopter Textron, FORD Global TECH; annual filings 6433→8513.
104,770 filings8,000 assigneespeak 13439/yr2016–2025
filing momentum (YoY 2016–2025)
top patent filers
- Boeing15459
- BELL Helicopter Textron4047
- FORD Global TECH3170
- Goodrich2956
- Sikorsky Aircraft2443
- Honeywell INT2323
- Waymo2264
- Deere1946
Common questions
How many Drones companies are there in San Francisco, United States?
Radar tracks 52 indexable Drones companies headquartered in San Francisco, United States that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Drones companies in San Francisco, United States?
The Drones companies in San Francisco, United States on this list have raised a combined $1.8B in disclosed equity funding across 25 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Drones company in San Francisco, United States?
Zipline is the highest-funded Drones company in San Francisco, United States, with $900M in disclosed equity funding.
How many Drones companies in San Francisco, United States are funded?
25 of the 52 Drones companies in San Francisco, United States on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Drones unicorns are there in San Francisco, United States?
1 Drones company in San Francisco, United States on this list is valued at $1B or more.
Who are the top investors in San Francisco, United States Drones companies?
The most active investors in San Francisco, United States Drones companies on this list include Y Combinator, Felicis Ventures, Google Ventures, Lemnos, First Round Capital.
Rohit KhannaTrends & Stories
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.