Aerodome is an LA-based startup operating in the Drone-As-First-Responder (DFR) space, using drones to provide first views of crimes, medical emergencies, and fires. Its system is triggered by 911 calls and can send a drone to a location in less than three minutes from decentralized launch facilities; the company reports an average arrival time of 85 seconds. Aerodome partners with hardware manufacturers rather than building drones itself and will work with DJI if clients require it, while noting differences in long-distance imaging performance. The company is prioritizing police customers and currently works with four cities in Los Angeles County plus customers in the Bay Area, New Mexico, and other states. Aerodome emphasizes automated flights with a human supervisor in the loop to satisfy FAA requirements. The startup plans to use new funding to expand coverage and grow headcount, which currently sits around 30 people. Financially, Aerodome announced a $21.5 million Series A and has raised $28 million in total to date. Aerodome builds an all-in-one automated drone response system designed to dispatch drones to 911 calls for police and fire departments. After seven months in stealth the company closed a $6.5 million seed round to fund its rollout. Aerodome says it will deploy its system to five police departments over the coming months. The product aims to replace costly and slow helicopter-based air support programs and can also be used to detect wildfires minutes after smoke appears. Founders Rahul Sidhu and Kenaniah Cerny previously started SPIDR Tech; Sidhu is a reserve police officer and draws product insight from field experience. Competitors such as Motorola, Dronesense, and Skydio focus more on software, while Aerodome emphasizes an end-to-end hardware-plus-software package.

Total raised

$28M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

May 2024