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DroneDeploy
DroneDeploy operates the robotics and AI platform for construction, energy, and agriculture, covering 3M+ sites in 180 countries with unified reality...
DroneDeploy
Mike Winn, Nick Pilkington and Jono Millin — who grew up together in South Africa — launched DroneDeploy in 2013 after an initial project helping Kruger National Park rangers use drones for anti-poaching work. The trio moved to San Francisco and built software that made drones accessible from a mobile phone, turning any drone into a cloud-connected data collection tool. DroneDeploy targets three large verticals: construction, energy, and agriculture. The platform uses drones, ground robots, and 360 cameras to capture site imagery, then applies AI agents to track progress, quality, and safety. Two acquisitions — Rocos in 2021 and StructionSite in 2022 — expanded the platform from aerial to ground robotics and interior 360° capture. The company reports deployments in 180 countries and counts over 5,000 enterprise customers. It has raised over $230M in venture funding (per Crunchbase, 2025), and its software is used to manage sites ranging from farmland to solar farms. DroneDeploy is remote-first and globally distributed. The company has made two acquisitions in the last four years to broaden capture modalities. In late 2025, JF Hervy joined as CFO to lead financial strategy for the next growth phase (per firm website, 2025). The executive team includes veterans from Google, Wilson Sonsini, and FARO Technologies. A structural differentiator is DroneDeploy's unified reality-capture approach: it provides one login for drone, ground robot, 360 camera, site cam, and design data — treating the entire site lifecycle as a single data stream rather than separate sensor feeds. This is distinct from point-solution drone-mapping firms that only handle aerial imagery.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
2013
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Santa Clara
Corporate office
Santa Clara, CA, United States
Principals
Mike Winn
CEO & Co-Founder
Nick Pilkington
CTO & Co-Founder
Jono Millin
Chief Data Officer & Co-Founder
James Stripe
Chief Product Officer
Brad King
Chief Revenue Officer
Matthew Daly
Chief Marketing Officer
JF Hervy
Chief Financial Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who founded DroneDeploy?
DroneDeploy was founded in 2013 by Mike Winn (CEO), Nick Pilkington (CTO), and Jono Millin (Chief Data Officer). The three grew up together in South Africa and met at Rhodes University. Pilkington and Millin both hold PhDs in Machine Learning from Cambridge and Edinburgh, respectively (per firm website).
What industries does DroneDeploy serve?
DroneDeploy focuses on construction, energy, and agriculture — three verticals where site monitoring, progress tracking, and safety compliance are critical. The platform is used by over 5,000 enterprise customers across 180 countries (per firm website).
How does DroneDeploy's reality-capture platform differ from a standard drone mapping tool?
DroneDeploy unifies capture from drones, ground robots, 360 cameras, site cameras, and design data into a single system of record. It also applies vision-language AI trained on billions of square feet of real-world data to surface progress, quality, and safety insights automatically — moving beyond just maps and orthophotos (per firm website).
Has DroneDeploy made any acquisitions?
Yes. In 2021, DroneDeploy acquired Rocos, a platform for controlling ground robots. In 2022, it acquired StructionSite, a leader in ground-level 360° interior reality capture. StructionSite's co-founder Matt Daly became DroneDeploy's CMO in 2023 (per firm website).
What is DroneDeploy's ownership and funding status?
DroneDeploy is a venture-backed private company. It has raised over $230M in total funding from investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Energize Ventures, and Insight Partners, among others (per Crunchbase, 2025).
Where is DroneDeploy headquartered?
DroneDeploy is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The company describes itself as 'remote-first and globally distributed' (per firm website).
Does DroneDeploy have a philanthropic arm?
DroneDeploy runs DroneDeploy.org, a nonprofit that grew out of the founders' original anti-poaching work at Kruger National Park. The organization applies drone technology to conservation, humanitarian, and environmental projects (per firm website).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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