5 Drone Startups To Watch Out For In 2024

Drones are becoming more advanced by the day, and with that, many new startups are coming up. There are many different initiatives that assist drone startups, and one such organisation is the UK-Ukraine TechExchange.

TechExchange is a non-profit initiative designed to support startups in the UK and Ukraine, focusing primarily on AgriTech and DefenceTech sectors. Its mission is to support the war effort and aid in Ukraine’s reconstruction by linking startups with opportunities for growth, investment, and a network to speed up innovation.

“Being Ukrainian, I’m dedicated to aiding Ukraine’s war effort in any way possible,” Andriy Dovbenko, the founder of UK-Ukraine TechExchange explains. The programme is for startups from both nations and they intend to raise the necessary investment to bring their innovative technologies to the world.

Who Does TechExchange Support?

The initiative is currently backing startups such as Skyeton and Pilotechnika from Ukraine, specialising in unmanned aerial vehicles, and Transimpex, focusing on humanitarian demining. Kvertus is also being supported for its contributions to electronic warfare and reconnaissance systems.

Why Is It Important?

TechExchange provides numerous advantages to startups, including:

• UK startups gain the opportunity for in-field testing in Ukraine.
• Ukrainian startups receive help with the logistics and legalities of transporting technology.
• Startups from both countries get access to early-stage investors.
• Access to mentors and networking opportunities that are vital for growth.

Following these benefits, Andriy Dovbenko emphasises, “Supporting innovative tech is essential for bringing Ukraine’s victory closer. With defense technology being vital today and agricultural technology key for post-war rebuilding, TechExchange commits to those companies whose technologies have a real possibility to make a significant difference.”
 

Other Drone Startups To Look Out For This Year

 
Let’s have a look at 5 drone startups that seem promising this year:
 

1. Skyeton

Skyeton is a Ukraine-based company that has manufactured unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Co-founded by CEO and CTO Alex Stepura and COO Roman Knyazhenko in 2014, Skyeton’s products provide accurate aerial data for precise ground intervention.

The aviation production business operates on two levels: civilian and defence. On the civilian side, Skyeton monitors vast areas, extensive infrastructure, and hard-to-reach territories with high accuracy and precision in real-time.

This enables it to intervene before significant loss. For defence, identifies and locates targets in enemy territory and can overcome GPS jamming, link spoofing and ground-to-air attacks. As a result, Skyeton’s UAS can intervene before an enemy attacks.

Skyeton’s drones can be used for vast data collection, such as border and coastline mapping, power line inspections and combating wildfires. Additionally, it can collect data and acquire targets under electronic warfare and without GPS.

Skyeton’s systems also feature an omni-weather and all-terrain design. Its Raybird UAS is capable of flying for around 30 hours covering over 150 kilometres and providing object recognition over vast, remote areas.

Since 2022, Skyeton’s Raybird UAS has been used by all Ukrainian forces in the conflict with Russia and there are more than 100 UAVs currently in the battlefield.

2. Tekever.

We develop and operate drones that use AI to detect threats to human life and the environment (e.g. human and drugs trafficking, piracy, oil spills etc). Our drones are currently:

• Deployed in Ukraine for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
• Used by the UK Home Office, Royal Airforce and British Navy.
• So advanced that we also founded a space division which supplies Inter Satellite Link technology to the European Space Agency’s Hera mission, which will determine if we can one day deflect asteroids bound for Earth.

In 2024, we’re ramping up our efforts to scale our company. Built from the ground up, we went 20 years before receiving any funding – €20M in 2022, in a fundraise led by UK-based VC fund, Ventura. Excitingly, the Financial Times reported plans of a substantial fundraise in the coming months.

To reflect our growing customer base, we’re increasing investment across the globe. Although Portugal founded and raised, we have an established footprint of operations in the UK, having a site in both Southampton and Wales. Increasing our reach across Europe, we recently opened a site in the European space capital, Toulouse, in November 2023.

3. Kvertus

Kvertus is a Ukrainian world-leading producer and manufacturer of electronic warfare defence systems that have advanced detection and suppression capabilities. While Kvertus was founded in 2016, the invasion of Ukraine has transformed the company and its operations.

With the sole mission of saving lives, Kvertus has manufactured over 3,000 items since 2022 and saved at least 50,000 lives with its suite of products and iIts patented products have suppression and detection capabilities.

Founded by Andrii Znaichenko and led by CEO Yaroslav Filimonov, Kvertus is based in Kyiv. The 160- person strong team has firsthand experience of what’s necessary to produce critical technology. Its technology has the ‘Ukrainian stamp of approval’ as it is undertaking research and development at the closest possible degree.

Not only does Kvertus’ technology suppress and detect enemy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones, its Kvertus Ad Kraken is a stationary system that projects a wide protective dome to establish both a safety corridor and block enemy electronic artillery.

Kvertus’ ‘click and forget to protect’ approach to defence-tech means that saving lives and safeguarding civilian infrastructure is at the core of what it does. Such infrastructure includes transit hubs, stadiums, bridges, stadiums, and cities.

4. BROSWARM.

Broswarm is a Vilnius-based defence tech startup founded in 2023. Its goal is to transform how mine detection works globally in order to help save lives and rehabilitate land. The company leverages cutting-edge multisensor fusion technology, incorporating drones and AI, to significantly enhance the speed, safety, and efficiency of demining operations.

Their innovative approach combining different sensors was recently bolstered by a $100,000 investment from ScaleWolf. One of the objectives of accelerating mine detection efforts is to alleviate the situation in Ukraine, a nation grappling with the extensive presence of landmines in over 30% of its territory.

Broswarm’s multi-sensor array technology uniquely combines metal detectors, magnetometers, thermal imaging, and HD cameras. In addition, Broswarm is working on a patented groundbreaking sensor capable of detecting small objects that were previously undetectable.

Broswarm was founded in 2023 by Ernestas Žvaigždinas, an exited founder, Karolis Žvaigždinas, a physicist specialising in machine learning programming, and Mindaugas Talaikis, an engineer. In 2023, the startup was recognised with the award for best new defence technology at the Lithuanian defence tech conference Ugninis Skydas.

5. Buntar Aerospace

Ukrainian-based Buntar Aerospace is greatly reducing the cost of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions through its two solutions: Buntar One and Buntar Copilot. The former is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which decreases high mission-failure rates due to enemy electronic warfare systems, while the latter is an AI-powered mission-planning software.

Buntar One is designed for reconnaissance on modern warfare and the Buntar Copilot is a smart software that extends its lifespan by up to tenfold, significantly reducing drone losses and maximising mission effectiveness.

Co-founded by CEO Ivan Kaunov, COO Kateryna Bezsudna and CPO Bohdan Sas, Buntar Aerospace has found that 90% of the drone operator’s work in preparation for the mission can be automated.

With this in mind, Buntar Aerospace’s solutions have unlocked an increased range of real-time ISR on the battlefield with lower prices. Its aerial reconnaissance system decreases the cost per mission by reducing the human factor.