SiFly Aviation has raised $20 million in Series A financing to scale U.S. manufacturing of its Q12 long-endurance electric drone and expand development of its DronePort multi-aircraft infrastructure system. Shield Capital led the round, with participation from Qudit, BBK Capital, Alumni Ventures and other investors.
The proceeds will support Q12 production, customer deliveries, manufacturing and supply-chain expansion and continued field validation of DronePort.
SiFly has tested the Q12 through thousands of flights and hundreds of hours of operation.
The company said the aircraft can fly approximately four times longer and as much as 10 times farther than leading enterprise drones while carrying payloads of up to 10 pounds.
The Q12 completed a flight lasting 3 hours, 11 minutes and 54 seconds, earning a Guinness World Record for the longest flight by an electric multirotor aircraft in its weight class.
SiFly designed the aircraft to combine vertical takeoff, precision hovering and multirotor maneuverability with the efficiency, range and speed typically associated with fixed-wing systems.
The company sees applications across public safety, infrastructure inspection and agriculture.
For public safety agencies, longer endurance can increase response coverage and time on station. When paired with DronePort, the system is intended to support Drone-as-First-Responder deployments.
Utilities can inspect more infrastructure during each flight, while agricultural operators can map more acreage with fewer aircraft and launches.
SiFly will also use the financing to build its commercial, customer operations and regulatory capabilities as it prepares for broader deployment.
The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and is positioning its U.S.-made platform as a domestic alternative as government agencies and commercial operators place greater emphasis on resilient drone supply chains.
KEY QUOTES:
“We built the Q12 to combine the agility, precision hover and vertical takeoff and landing of a multirotor drone with the efficiency, range and speed of a fixed wing aircraft. This financing allows us to scale production, fulfill our growing backlog and support successful customer deployments.”
Brian Hinman, Founder And CEO Of SiFly
“For drone operators, greater endurance translates into faster response, broader coverage and lower cost per mission.”
Ray Rothrock, Shield Capital
