Ever since drone technology began hitting mainstream markets in the mid-2010’s, use cases and capabilities of these devices has multiplied several times over. Professionals ranging from industrial contractors to videographers have made drones an essential part of their toolkits, while manufacturers and software developers have begun creating new and more precise ways for drones to operate seamlessly for each application.
The ten drone companies listed below have pioneered San Francisco’s network of drone visionaries, constantly finding ways to add drone capabilities to existing and emerging industries, tackling challenges previously impossible to solve.
Top Drone Companies in the San Francisco Bay Area
- DroneDeploy
- Swift Navigation
- Airspace
- Iris Automation
- Skycatch
- Tarsier
Founded: 2013
Focus: Site mapping
What they do: DroneDeploy provides a variety of software that helps businesses in the mining, construction, agricultural, roofing, solar and other industries create accurate maps and renderings of job sites via drone control. The cloud-based software provides site managers and workers with access to high resolution 2D maps, 3D renderings and autonomous flight abilities, with an additional 80+ apps available to extend DroneDeploy’s capabilities.
Founded: 2012
Focus: Autonomous performance
What they do: Swift Navigation created the industry’s first low-cost, high-accuracy real time kinematic GPS receiver and is now focused on creating an ecosystem of GNSS positioning systems that allow autonomous vehicles to behave with precision. A variety of hardware and software solutions are available from Swift Navigation, including pilot programs and “starter kits” to introduce users to the company’s positioning capabilities. Additional products are made available for purchase after a user completes Swift’s integration testing and prototyping.
Founded: 2015
Focus: Security
What they do: Airspace’s goal is to keep the sky clear of unauthorized or malicious drones, utilizing artificial intelligence and advanced robotics to create solutions that tackle the three mandatories of airspace security: long range detection, instant identification and autonomous mitigation. A mix of proprietary algorithms and systems co-developed by the US Department of Defense are used to target and verify drones regardless of if they emit signals, before being captured and delivered to a safe location to prevent damage to people or property.
Founded: 2014
Focus: Security
What they do: Dedrone creates a variety of products that help G7 nations, Fortune 500 companies, airports and prisons around the world keep their airspaces safe from the threat of unauthorized drones and other small aircrafts. Offering a mix of sensors, radars, cameras, jammers and software allows Dedrone to provide clients with customizable solutions that keep them secure against future threats.
Founded: 2015
Focus: Automation
What they do: Iris Automation’s products and services are designed to detect and avoid collisions between drone aircraft and all else that shares the skies. Advancing mandatory standards and reducing pilot error, operational risk and approval difficulty are the goals that Iris has set out to tackle through its expandable Casia system of detection cameras, as well as services that help organizations plan and execute a proper drone deployment strategy.
Founded: 2013
Focus: Site Analysis
What they do: Skycatch creates hardware and software that gives site managers and workers real-time measurement information on the materials that make up their sites, leading to precise planning and less waste due to overstretching human and machine capabilities. In-field processing units and its Flight1 Mission Planner allows Skycatch to provide sites with 2D and 3D renderings of objects and digital readings of its area, providing accurate information on distances, surface areas, volume and other crucial measurements.
Focus: Security
What they do: Tarsier designs and distributes industrial cameras, real-time GPS tracking and long-range scanners to provide drone detection and airspace security to vulnerable locations and areas high in air traffic. The company’s software offers the ability to convert existing security cameras into drone detection systems, and Tarsier has worked with the US Department of Defense, Stanford University, Axis Communications and more to empower crucial airspace security programs and enhance its own technology.
Founded: 2015
Focus: Deployment
What they do: Unmanned.Life believes in providing autonomy-as-a-service, allowing companies in a variety of industries to transform the way they operate by utilizing a swarm of mission-specific drones to discover new solutions to emerging challenges. The company has designed its software with the flexibility to integrate with existing, ready-to-use drone hardware and capabilities of Unmanned.Life's systems include mission management, swarm control, core AI data processing and sensor data processing.
Founded: 2014
Focus: Manufacturing
What they do: UVify builds and manufactures a variety of drones that provide usability for several core purposes, from industrial performance to racing and much more. The company’s drone devices are available in varying degrees of user-friendliness and capability. The OORI operates via an included controller with no need for external hardware and the IFO is designed to operate in precise swarms to perform spectacular light shows and choreography.
