Skydio, founded in 2014 by Abe Bachrach, Adam Bry and Matt Donahoe, is a San Mateo, California-based drone manufacturer specialising in AI-native autonomous flight systems. With approximately 723 employees as of December 2024, it provides advanced drones, docking stations, accessories and software to sectors including public safety, utilities, national security, inspection, transportation, construction and oil & gas.
What Is Skydio and What Does It Do?
Skydio, founded in 2014 by Abe Bachrach, Adam Bry and Matt Donahoe, is a San Mateo-based (United States) drone and autonomous systems company.
With a team of around 723 employees (as of end 2024), the company develops and manufactures hardware platforms (drones, docking stations, attachments) and provides related software, services and developer tools. Its solutions allow autonomous flight, encrypted data capture and integration across sectors such as public safety, utilities, inspection, national security and transportation.
By combining computer vision, AI and hardware, Skydio aims to simplify complex flying tasks and enable scalable drone deployment for enterprise and government customers.
How Much Funding Has Skydio Raised?
1. Seed Round
- Amount Raised: $3 M
- Date: January 2015
- Lead Investors: Andreessen Horowitz
- Motivation: To develop initial prototypes and validate the technology.
2. Series A
- Amount Raised: $25 M
- Date: January 2016
- Lead Investors: Andreessen Horowitz
- Motivation: To scale production and expand the team.
3. Series B
- Amount Raised: $42 M
- Date: February 2018
- Lead Investors: IVP, Playground Global
- Motivation: To enhance product features and enter new markets.
4. Series C
- Amount Raised: $100 M
- Date: July 2020
- Lead Investors: Next47
- Motivation: To accelerate growth and invest in R&D.
5. Series D
- Amount Raised: $170 M
- Date: February 2021
- Lead Investors: Andreessen Horowitz
- Motivation: To expand into international markets and enhance AI capabilities.
6. Series E
- Amount Raised: $230 M
- Date: February 2023
- Lead Investors: Linse Capital
- Motivation: To strengthen enterprise and defense market presence.
7. Series E Extension
- Amount Raised: $170 M
- Date: November 2024
- Lead Investors: Linse Capital
- Motivation: To leverage strategic partnerships and expand deployment in Japan.
Total Funding Raised: $715 Million
Current Valuation: $2.2 Billion (as of February 2023)
Latest Funding Date: November 2024
Key Investors
1. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
- Details: Venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley.
- Investment Focus Areas: Technology, software, hardware, infrastructure, frontier tech.
- Notable Investments: Facebook, Airbnb, Slack, Skydio.
2. Linse Capital
- Details: Growth equity firm focusing on high-growth technology and industrial companies.
- Investment Focus Areas: Technology, industrial sectors, hardware/software convergence.
- Notable Investments: Skydio.
3. IVP (Institutional Venture Partners)
- Details: Growth-stage venture firm in US tech markets.
- Investment Focus Areas: Later-stage technology, platforms, consumer and enterprise.
- Notable Investments: Twitter, Dropbox, Snap, Skydio.
4. Playground Global
- Details: Venture firm specializing in hardware and software companies, providing engineering as well as capital.
- Investment Focus Areas: Hardware, software, robotics, deep tech.
- Notable Investments: Skydio
5. Next47
- Details: Global venture firm backed by Siemens dedicated to innovation-driven companies.
- Investment Focus Areas: Technology, industrial Innovation, enterprise hardware/software.
- Notable Investments: Skydio
Where Is Skydio’s Headquarters?
Skydio is headquartered in San Mateo, California, United States. This location places the company within the heart of the U.S. technology ecosystem providing access to silicon-valley talent, advanced manufacturing supply-chains and proximity to aerospace and defense contractors.
What’s Next for Skydio?
Skydio is pivoting sharply into enterprise, industrial and defense markets, having exited the consumer drone segment to focus on higher-margin and mission-critical applications. It plans strategic international expansion, especially in Japan, where partners like KDDI aim to deploy Skydio drones across 1,000 sites.
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