Flygildi’s core product is the Silent Flyer, a patent-protected UAV that uses wings instead of rotors and can be configured to mimic a range of avian species. The platform is built to carry surveillance equipment and small payloads and was developed initially with military surveillance use in mind. The company is positioning the Silent Flyer for a wide set of civilian use cases as well, including poaching and drug-trafficking monitoring, environmental-crime surveillance, fishing-vessel monitoring, marine-pollution detection, and illegal-dumping observation. Flygildi has partnered with Purdue University to test its prototype and with Icelandic greentech Nanom to explore Nano-enhanced Structural Energy Storage that would allow carbon-fiber body parts to store energy. The startup exited stealth by demoing the prototype at DroneX Expo in London and is moving toward finalizing the design and manufacturing for both civilian and military applications. Financially, Flygildi has completed a $2.2 million Seed raise from Icelandic angel investors, VC funds and government grants to support continued development and commercialization. Flygildi develops the Silent Flyer, an autonomous, silent drone designed to mimic birds with morphing wings that fold into the body and are indistinguishable from real birds on radar. The drone carries cameras and other sensors and is usable in both daylight and pitch-black night. Use cases cited include covert surveillance, wildlife photography and research, scaring birds away from airports, and river/ fish-farm surveillance. Flygildi has a contract with the Icelandic Civil Aviation Administration (ISAVIA) to explore airport bird-scaring applications. The company plans meetings in the United States to pursue strategic partners and investors and has drawn interest from Skydio, Oculus representatives, and Lockheed Martin. Flygildi was founded in 2012 by electrical engineer Hjalti Harðarson and aerospace engineer Dr. Leifur Þór Leifsson.

Total raised

$2M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Sep 2023