From Ground to Sky: Meet the Startups Driving Drone Evolution

Prodrone Co. is a Japanese startup that is developing and manufacturing innovative drones for professional use. Their drones are designed to be highly reliable, durable, and capable of operating in even the most challenging conditions.

Prodrone's flagship drone is the PDH-GS120, a single-rotor drone equipped with a newly developed 120cc electronically controlled engine and a helicopter-specific flight controller. The PDH-GS120 offers a flight time of up to 2.5 hours with a payload of up to 15kg (33lb), making it ideal for a variety of applications, including transportation of goods, wide area surveillance, and pesticide spraying.

Prodrone's drones are used by a variety of government agencies and commercial organizations around the world. Prodrone is committed to developing drones that are safe, reliable, and easy to use.

Skydio is a leading American drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight. The company was founded in 2014 by a team of experts in AI, robotics, cameras, and electric vehicles. Skydio's mission is to create the world's most intelligent flying machines for use by consumers, enterprises, and government customers.

Skydio drones are popular with consumers who want to take professional-looking photos and videos. Skydio drones can follow subjects automatically, they can even create cinematic footage with the push of a button and they can avoid obstacles and fly in challenging conditions..

In 2023, Skydio raised $230 million in Series E funding at a $2.2 billion valuation. This funding will be used to accelerate Skydio's growth and to develop new products and services.

Skydio's drones are used by:

• Real estate agents are using Skydio drones to create stunning aerial footage of homes and properties.
• Construction companies are using Skydio drones to inspect bridges, power lines, and other infrastructure.
• Search and rescue teams are using Skydio drones to search for missing people in difficult-to-reach areas.

Nileworks is a Japanese startup that is developing agricultural drones and cloud-based growth diagnosis services. The company's vision is to revolutionize precision agriculture by making it easier and more efficient for farmers to monitor and manage their crops.

Nileworks' drones are capable of fully-automated, centimeter-level precision flight. This close proximity also enables the drones to spray optimal amounts of fertilizer and agrochemicals based on the results of real-time diagnoses of the growth status of individual stalks.

Nileworks' cloud-based growth diagnosis services use special drone-mounted cameras to collect data on the growth of crops.

Aeronext is a next-generation drone laboratory founded in 2018 with the mission to achieve the ideal aircraft design for UAVs and multi-copters. The company's core technology is 4D GRAVITY®, a proprietary center of gravity control technology that separates the flight and cargo parts of a drone, enabling increased aircraft stability and unprecedented flight performance and maneuverability.

4D GRAVITY® allows Aeronext drones to fly in high winds and other challenging environments, and to perform complex maneuvers with ease.