• Flyability

  Participated · Series A · Jul 2016

  Flyability develops collision-tolerant indoor inspection drones and companion software, most recently launching the Elios 3 with an integrated LiDAR sensor for indoor 3D mapping. Elios 3 produces real-time 3D models during flight and enables survey-grade 3D models after flights using Flyability’s software and third-party partners. The company reports close to a thousand customers and has offices in the USA, Singapore, China, and Lausanne. Its drones are used to inspect industrial and confined spaces to improve worker safety and to digitize asset inspection processes as part of Industry 4.0 initiatives. Flyability plans to use new funding to further develop sensing and autonomy capabilities for the Elios 3 platform. Customers-turned-investors such as Cargill and Dow have deployed the company’s technology in operational inspections. Flyability develops drone-based B2B solutions that enable indoor exploration and inspection of inaccessible and confined spaces, reducing safety risks, labor costs and environmental hazards for industrial operators. Its core products are market-leading indoor inspection drones and increasingly complete platform solutions for complex inspections. The company serves over 500 customers in more than 50 countries, employs about 100 people, and has offices in Europe and the USA. Flyability also maintains a network of over 50 resellers, including in China and Japan. The startup plans to use new funding to accelerate global expansion and continue developing its commercial indoor drone innovation. Management emphasizes building more complete and complex platform offerings to better serve its worldwide customer base. Flyability produces Elios, a collision-tolerant drone designed to perform indoor inspections in complex and confined environments. The drone prevents human exposure in hazardous spaces and targets applications in power generation, oil & gas, mining and chemical industries. Flyability reports more than 350 customers and 500+ drones in the field, cumulating thousands of flight hours. The company plans to increase production, expand its network of partners and invest heavily in R&D. Its R&D roadmap focuses on 3D mapping, localization and autonomous navigation to push the limits of indoor autonomous flight. Flyability has raised $11 million in a Series B and $16 million in total since its 2014 founding; it is based in Lausanne. Flyability develops collision-tolerant drones that can navigate complex, confined and hazardous environments to perform inspections where human entry is dangerous or costly. Its technology allows drones to tolerate collisions and reach areas conventional drones cannot without high crash risk. The company is active in energy production, maritime and oil & gas markets, inspecting boilers, tanks, vessels and ballast spaces. Customers cited include power plant operators, oil & gas majors and inspection companies, who benefit from reduced downtime, lower inspection costs, and avoided human interventions. Flyability plans to use new funding to ramp up production to meet growing demand and to expand into new markets such as search & rescue and security. The company is also preparing a product targeted toward the mass market. Flyability SA, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, develops collision-tolerant drones for the inspection, exploration, and reconnaissance of complex environments. Its core product is a drone that can fly in contact with structures and is safe to operate near humans. The company has been shipping prototypes to first customers since April 2015, targeting industrial inspection in energy and transport infrastructure as well as first responders (firefighters, police, search & rescue). The team includes over 15 engineers, and Flyability won the $1M UAE Drones for Good Award in 2015; it is supported by Swiss FIT, the W.A. de Vigier Foundations, Venture Kick, and the NCCR Robotics. Since its creation Flyability has attracted over 2.5 million CHF in funding. Management says the new round provides resources to launch its first professional product, planned to be available in 2016.

• BRCK

  Participated · Equity · Jan 2016

  BRCK makes a physically robust mobile WiFi hotspot that connects to multiple networks and is described as a back-up generator for the internet. The device was designed by the same Nairobi team behind Ushahidi, Crowdmap and the iHub. The company plans to use new funding to expand operations, increase manufacturing of inventory, develop new device designs and broaden distribution across the African continent and globally. BRCK previously raised over US$172,000 on Kickstarter in 2013 and followed with an additional US$1.2 million investment. Most recently BRCK raised US$3 million from a group of international investors. Named investors include former AOL executives Jean and Steve Case, TED, Swiss-based MKS Alternative Investments, Synergy Energy and Jim Sorenson. BRCK builds a versatile mobile router that functions as a backup internet generator, intelligently hopping between Ethernet, Wi‑Fi and available 3G/4G networks. The device includes an internal battery that can run for about eight hours when AC power fails. BRCK’s product is positioned to address unreliable connectivity across Africa and other developing regions, with a stated mission to bring internet access to billions in emerging markets. The company gained early traction with a successful Kickstarter campaign and remains independent of Ushahidi. BRCK currently employs 11 people. The team says the recent funding will help the company scale its hardware and deployment efforts across target markets. BRCK is a hardware project from the Ushahidi team that builds a battery-backed mobile router designed to connect users to the internet anywhere, even without mains electricity. The device intelligently hops between Ethernet, WiFi and available 3G/4G networks to maintain connectivity. The team describes it as a backup generator for the internet and positions it as the easiest, most reliable way to connect in low‑infrastructure environments. The project was prototyped and built in Nairobi, Kenya, and the effort has required developing local hardware expertise and tools. Financially, BRCK ran a Kickstarter campaign that surpassed its US$125,000 goal and has rewarded hundreds of backers; the campaign reported more than US$127,000 raised with around 834 backers and over 430 BRCKs already promised.

No current team members are available.