Tokyo-based Drone Fund has invested in the Aerodyne Group, a Malaysia-based drone service provider with offices in 10 nations around the world.
The amount of the investment was not disclosed.
In addition to resources the deal will give Aerodyne access to the Drone Fund’s stable of innovative drone-related entrepreneurs as well as its established technology partners, Aerodyne said in a statement.
“This partnership with Aerodyne is important for the drone start-ups we have invested in to make further inroads into the growing Asian market and beyond. Aerodyne is truly a leading industry solution provider with DaaS (Drone as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions that leverage the power of AI (artificial intelligence),” said Soki Ohmae, a Drone Fund executive board member.
Aerodyne currently provides drone-based services ranging from precision agriculture, inspection and surveying to emergency response and resource management. The company is working to develop fully autonomous unmanned aerial systems, including automated surveillance applications and nested drones — that is drones with that return to, pre-established, automated stations to download data, recharge and await their next mission. The company is incorporating artificial intelligence and 5G connectivity, it said in a statement, and has announced plans to pursue air mobility, that is automated, passenger-carrying air taxis.
The deal will help Aerodyne make further inroads into the Japanese market for drone-centric services.
“Japan is an interesting and significant market for us and we look forward to working very closely with Drone Fund to make our vision a reality,” said Kamarul Muhamed, Aerodyne’s CEO.