Starburst to continue working with New York state-based GENIUS NY to support early-stage companies in the uncrewed systems, robotics and big data industries.

Cohort 7 applications now open for GENIUS NY - learn more.  

Starburst, the leading global Aerospace and Defense (A&D) startup accelerator and strategic advisory practice, and GENIUS NY, the Syracuse, NY-based startup accelerator focused on incubating early-stage companies in the uncrewed systems and robotics industries, have announced its second year of collaboration. 

The Starburst team will continue to support GENIUS NY’s 12-month accelerator program, designed to help startups develop their products, refine their business models, and prepare for commercialization. Starburst will provide their Accelerator-as-a-Service, serving as a nexus between global stakeholders in the A&D ecosystem.

The GENIUS NY accelerator supplies unparalleled access and expertise to young companies in the uncrewed aerial systems, robotics, and big data sectors. Each year, the program invests $3M into five selected startups. GENIUS NY works closely with its partners at NUAIR, who manages operations of the FAA-designated New York UAS Test Site at Griffiss International Airport and is responsible for the advancement of New York’s 50-mile UAS Corridor between Rome and Syracuse, NY. To date, GENIUS NY has awarded more than $18M in 32 startups from around the world.

Starburst leverages its deep industry expertise to offer GENIUS NY startups strategic advice about product-market-fit and growth, access to a deep industry expert mentor network, dedicated fundraising support, and introductions to investors, commercial customers, legacy corporates, and government innovation leaders. Starburst has been an innovation catalyst in the aerospace industry since 2012, with four active venture funds internationally and equity in over 140 aerospace startups, the top 10 of which have raised more than $1B.

“This collaboration is true to our open innovation ethos. It allows companies to access world-renowned expertise, tap into a more comprehensive network, and have an increased competitiveness and agility in the market,” said Starburst Accelerator Principal Nate Mason. “We are thrilled to continue working with GENIUS NY and the cutting-edge disruptors they accelerate,” he added.

The GENIUS NY accelerator offers a year-long two-phase program: The first phase is a three-month boot camp, during which selected startups receive a $30,000 stipend and work on developing their products and business plans. Phase I ends with Pitch Finals, an event where all five companies are awarded a total of $3M: $1M grand prize and four $500K awards. The second phase is a nine-month accelerator, during which the startups receive additional mentoring, networking opportunities, and access to resources to help them grow and scale their businesses.

Companies from previous cohorts have gone on to raise significant rounds of venture capital, including Drone Seed ($36M Series A), Thread ($15M Series A), Fotokite ($13.7M Series B), and Wonder Robotics ($4 Million Seed Round).

According to Kara Jones, Director of GENIUS NY, “Partnering with Starburst adds incredible value to GENIUS NY. This will enable us to further expand our network in the aerospace and defense sectors and allow companies in our program to scale faster and generate revenue sooner. The unique qualities of GENIUS NY that provide targeted resources to companies, combined with the extensive reach of Starburst, will enhance the impact and advancement of this sector within our economy as we move into our seventh round.”

Current teams working with Starburst from cohort 6 include Fusion Engineering of the Netherlands, who is working to create the most reliable, flexible, and easy-to-use flight controller for multirotor drones; Dronehub of Poland, who builds autonomous ‘gas stations’ for drones and intelligent cloud software for human-less monitoring and inspections; and Archangel Imaging from the United Kingdom, who develops commercial smart security systems.

Applications for cohort 7 are open through May 17, 2023 - apply here. Winners are announced in early July, and phase one of the accelerator program begins on July 10, 2023.

About Starburst
Starburst is an innovation catalyst in the Aerospace and Defense industry. They are the first and only global aerospace accelerator, connecting startups with corporates, investors and government, while providing strategic growth and investment consulting services for all. With offices in Los Angeles, Paris, Munich, Singapore, Seoul, Tel Aviv, and Madrid, the team has built an ecosystem of key players with 15,000+ startups in our network. Starburst’s flagship accelerator program helps startups scale their business in aviation, space, and defense with access to the largest group of corporate representatives, government stakeholders, and private venture investors in the world to help startups win their first contracts. More information about Starburst can be found at www.starburst.aero

About GENIUS NY
GENIUS NY is the world’s largest business accelerator focused on uncrewed systems and robotics. It offers an opportunity to scale your business with funding and an immersive accelerator program like no other. Each year, GENIUS NY invests $3 million into five startups, and offers a host of program services - from mentorship to connections to investors, and inroads to customers. The accelerator is located in Syracuse, New York, and to date has invested $18M into 32 startups. More information about GENIUS NY can be found at www.geniusny.com

Wonder Robotics, an Israeli company that specializes in intelligent autonomous solutions for drones and eVTOL, is expanding into the American market by launching a new operations center in Syracuse, New York. This expansion is part of the company's broader strategy to become a leading player in the world's largest and most significant market for smart services using drones.

The new branch will be established with an investment of $500,000, which was awarded to Wonder Robotics as part of their participation in GENIUS NY's prestigious accelerator for drones and robotics. GENIUS NY is the world’s largest accelerator for uncrewed systems, and regional development program in New York. After competing against more than 200 other companies in the field, Wonder Robotics was selected to participate in the program, facilitating their smooth entry into this market and providing them with valuable connections to companies and entities at the forefront of the latest technological developments in the field.

Wonder Robotics' debut product, WonderLand, is very much the MobileyeTM of commercial drones. This smart solution is designed to connect seamlessly with any type of commercial grade drone. WonderLand solutionprovides advanced features that ensure safe flight in low-altitude mission in urban areas and enable autonomous landing and vertical awareness without advanced mapping or human supervision (observer or pilot in the loop). By reducing the risk of accidents involving people, buildings, powerlines and vegetation, WonderLand's solution for drone autonomy helps lower the operating costs and optimize the process for more scalable implementation, making drone services, such as drone deliveries, more economically feasible.

​The Syracuse area is a hub for technological development, infrastructure, and regulation related to drones. It is home to NUAIR, who manages operations of the FAA-designated New York UAS Test Site at Griffiss International Airport, and is responsible for the advancement of New York’s 50-mile UAS Corridor between Rome and Syracuse, NY. NUAIR is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to integrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems into the US national airspace to facilitate safe and widespread commercial drone operations. The organization provides dedicated experts and physical infrastructure for operational validation, testing, and eventual adoption of the technology by the FAA. 

Syracuse, New York was a strategic choice for Wonder Robotics' American operation center, given the Wonder Robotics' international business status and designated markets in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The East Coast region is a key location for connecting with industry groups and facilitating the company's operations across these regions. By establishing a presence in the United States, Wonder Robotics will be able to work closely with its current partners, reach new customers, and engage with relevant regulatory authorities.

"Our American center is situated in one of the largest UAS centers in the US, providing a thriving ecosystem that strongly supports companies operating in this field. This location enables us to better serve our American customers and work as active partners in the application and implementation of our product in their services," said Idan Shimon, CEO and co-founder of the company. "The center will coordinate the customer service, training, and maintenance and support, alongside demonstrations of the WonderLand system and its marketing to new customers. The company's first product will help make drone services more autonomous and safer. This product will also significantly increase efficiency by reducing the number of people involved in operating a drone service which will pave the way for expansion to hundreds of thousands of drones in the urban landscape."

Scheduled to open in March 2023, Wonder Robotics' new operations center in the USA will play a crucial role in serving the company's strategic American customers, including Spright (the drone division) of Air Methods, North America's largest medical logistics service provider. As a pioneer in short- and medium-distance drone deliveries, Spright plans to operate hundreds of drones by 2024. Additionally, Wonder Robotics is in a process to secure another strategic customer: undisclosed drone company of a large US retail chain, which plans to incorporate Wonder Robotics' autonomy technology into its existing drone delivery service at a dozen sites across the US. With the ability to serve millions of customers in the next two years, this partnership is set to be a major boost for the company's growth. The opening of the new center, which follows Wonder Robotics' recent success in winning the GENIUS NY accelerator competition and increasing American sales, will continue the company's positive momentum.

According to Kara Jones, Director of GENIUS NY, "The cutting-edge innovation offered by Wonder Robotics positions it at the forefront of unmanned systems' development and the heart of the drone revolution in Central New York, which is a global leader in this field. We selected Wonder Robotics as an investment through our business development arm due to its potential to make a significant contribution to the American market and create numerous business opportunities."

According to Shimon, "The drone services market is projected to reach $63.6 billion by 2025, but I believe this figure could be even higher. As drones become increasingly integrated into daily life, their economic impact will only continue to grow. Our goal at Wonder Robotics is to remain a leading provider of innovative vision-based autonomy solutions that enable safe, reliable, and highly efficient drone services."

About Wonder Robotics
Wonder Robotics was founded with the goal of optimizing the commercial viability of drones through the use of cutting-edge autonomy technology, resulting in safer and more dependable operations. The company's flagship product, WonderLand, facilitates safe low-altitude flight and autonomous landing at any uncharted and unsupervised location for drones and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. Based in Israel with offices in the USA, the company boasts a team of world-renowned experts in the fields of drones, robotics, navigation, and 3D visual applications, with extensive experience serving both commercial and military markets.

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Empire State Development (ESD) today announced that GENIUS NY – the world’s largest business accelerator focused on uncrewed aerial systems – is now accepting applications for the seventh round of the year-long program. The in-residence accelerator, operated by CenterState CEO in downtown Syracuse, will invest more than $3 million in five finalist companies, including a $1 million grand prize. The program also offers company stipends, resources, programming, mentorship, and networking opportunities to assist innovative startups with the tools they need to take advantage of emerging opportunities. GENIUS NY participants are required to operate their business in Central New York for at least one year. The program is funded through the CNY Rising Upstate Revitalization Initiative (URI), the region’s award-winning strategic plan to generate robust economic growth and community development.

Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Hope Knight said, “GENIUS NY’s seventh round will help to further fuel Central New York’s thriving uncrewed aerial systems industry. This unique business accelerator competition is attracting forward-thinking entrepreneurial ideas and innovators to the region, as well as top companies that are ready to take advantage of the area's unmatched UAS assets and infrastructure."
Applications are being accepted at www.geniusny.com through May 17, 2023 from tech startups focused in uncrewed aerial systems, IoT, big data, and robotics. Subsets may include precision and remote sensing, smart city applications, data collection and analytics, guidance or communication systems, and sensors, among other technological categories.

“We are looking for high-potential teams who want to join our program so they can accelerate the growth of their companies and become engaged in the region’s growing UAS and UTM ecosystem,” said Kara Jones, director of GENIUS NY. “GENIUS NY is a unique program in that it provides targeted resources to companies so they can scale faster and generate revenue sooner. Through six rounds of this accelerator program, we have seen impact and advancement of this sector within our economy, which is a proven jobs creator.”

Applications are evaluated by a panel of judges, and semi-finalists will be selected to present demos and pitches this spring. Five companies will advance to participate in the program, which is structured as a unique programmed incubator and accelerator experience. The selected teams will enter the in-residence accelerator at The Tech Garden later this summer where they will be immersed in the incubator's events, resource pool, and mentoring. Applicants should be prepared to relocate to Central New York to participate in the program starting in August.

The program has attracted more than 32 startups to Central New York since its inception in 2017. To date, the innovative teams have gone on to raise more than $100 million in venture capital and have created more than 80 upstate New York jobs.

Round six winner, Archangel Imaging received the top prize of $1 million in November 2022. The company has seen significant growth in Central New York and has partnered with several local providers and customers. They recently made their first U.S hire and last month partnered with past GENIUS team, Circle Optics to combine their 360-degree imaging with its data science and software.

To read more about this announcement, click here

To apply to GENIUS NY and learn more, click here.​

Accelerating CNY Rising
Today's announcement complements “CNY Rising,” the region’s comprehensive strategy to generate robust economic growth and community development. The regionally designed plan focuses on capitalizing on global market opportunities, strengthening entrepreneurship and creating an inclusive economy. More information is available here.
 
About Empire State Development
Empire State Development (ESD) is New York’s chief economic development agency (www.esd.ny.gov). The mission of ESD is to promote a vigorous and growing economy, encourage the creation of new job and economic opportunities, increase revenues to the State and its municipalities, and achieve stable and diversified local economies. Through the use of loans, grants, tax credits and other forms of financial assistance, ESD strives to enhance private business investment and growth to spur job creation and support prosperous communities across New York State. ESD is also the primary administrative agency overseeing the Regional Economic Development Councils and the marketing of “I LOVE NEW YORK,” the State’s iconic tourism brand. For more information on Regional Councils and Empire State Development, visit www.regionalcouncils.ny.gov and www.esd.ny.gov.

Let the countdown begin!

GENIUS NY – the world’s largest business accelerator focused on uncrewed systems – is accepting applications for the seventh round of the year-long program starting February 7, 2023. The in-residence accelerator will invest more than $3 million in five finalist companies, including a $1 million grand prize. 

Applications will be accepted at www.geniusny.com through May 17, 2023 from tech startups focused in uncrewed systems, IoT, big data, and robotics. Subsets may include precision and remote sensing, smart city applications, data collection and analytics, guidance or communication systems, and sensors, among other technological categories.

To learn more and register please click here. 

GENIUS NY teams Circle Optics ('21) and Archangel Imaging ('22) have announced a partnership combining Circle Optics innovative 360-degree imaging with Archangel Imaging's unique data science and software.

Archangel Imaging CEO, Dan Sola says, “we’re fundamentally a software and data science company and both our static ground AI cameras and mobile AI co-pilots rely on the visual sensors we integrate; Circle Optics capabilities opens up potential enhancements on the ground and in the air for wide angle cameras of very high resolution in a compact package.”
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Circle Optics CEO, Zakariya Niazi, states, ”Archangel Imaging is already deploying novel software solutions that are enhancing autonomous surveillance of critical infrastructure, enabling navigation in GPS denied environments, and building intelligence into machines for state-of-the-art human / machine teaming. Circle Optics provides panoramic camera technology with the best data product around. Our data output combined with their advanced analytics will be a game-changer for the UAS industry.”

Read more about this exciting partnership: https://circleoptics.com/partnership-announcement-between-circle-optics-and-archangel-imaging/

About Circle Optics: Founded in 2017, Circle Optics has developed patented technology enabling the ability to capture the entire world in a stitch-less, instant 360-degree imaging. 360-degree imaging is part of everyday life. Circle Optics technology is being designed to accelerate the delivery of life saving resources, ensure aerospace safety, enhance remote sensing capabilities for protection, and increase immersive experience participation. Different from other cameras on the market which work by combining overlapping fields of view in the software, our technology works by aligning fields of view in hardware to produce a perfect panoramic image. No distortion. One click and done. 

About Archangel Imaging: Archangel Imaging deploys smart machines alongside people to protect valuable assets and at-risk staff in remote or challenging places. Remote operations are difficult. Whether you are operating drone patrols over marine reserves or monitoring static energy infrastructure, your ability to succeed depends on the supporting infrastructure used to coordinate any response. Today’s machines are still mostly tools, not teammates. Archangel Imaging technology can be retrofitted to other machines to make them smarter and more resilient in a changing environment, independent from any infrastructure. Argonaut™ AI cameras watch for poachers in Africa, oil thieves in South America or potential suicides on European railways. Xnaut™ AI co-pilots enable any drone to independently navigate and complete missions without communications or GPS signals.

Archangel Imaging Wins GENIUS NY $1 Million Grand Prize; Four Other Finalists Receive $500,000 investments as Part of $3 Million Awarded to Innovative Companies that will Now Operate in Syracuse 

Investment Complements "CNY Rising" - The Region's Comprehensive Strategy to Revitalize Communities and Grow the Economy

Photo of Winner Available Here

Company Name: AVSS – Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions Inc.
Company HQ: New Brunswick, Canada
Team Size: 15
Focus: Autonomous landing systems that include guided and unguided parachute recovery systems for drone safety, and guided delivery systems for mission critical resupply.
Interview with: Josh Ogden, CEO

​Tell us about your company:
AVSS has been developing autonomous landing systems since 2017. Our first commercial product line in this market is in the commercial drone safety segment, where we have developed and sold globally, guided and unguided parachute recovery systems that are used to enable commercial drones and drone delivery companies to fly in more complex operations, such as over people and beyond-visual-line-of-sight. AVSS’s second product line are guided delivery systems that enable drones to autonomously deliver resupplies for remote medical delivery, military resupply, and environmental disaster support.

When did your company start, and where did the idea for your startup come from?
Our company was founded in 2017 after the co-founders saw a video of Domino’s Pizza wanting to do drone delivery. After discussing the video, we wondered what would happen if the drone failed.

Who is your ideal customer?
Our ideal customer would come from two segments. First, the drone safety segment who need guided parachute recovery systems—such as, drone delivery companies, as well as commercial drone manufacturers that sell to end users for inspection, monitoring, and policing operations in densely populated areas or fly beyond visual line of sight.
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Second, the guided delivery segment of commercial drone manufacturers who need guided delivery for mission critical resupply, supporting remote medical delivery, military resupply, and environmental disaster support use cases.

What can we expect from your company in the near future?
We plan to expand our flight testing and business development teams in New York. Look for an announcement about new drone manufacturer integration projects, as well as new guided delivery technology for drone safety and guided delivery.

Why are you excited about GENIUS NY?
We are excited to be leveraging expertise from the local drone community and working with partners that want to help each other succeed.

What are you most looking forward to while staying in Syracuse?
We are looking forward to warmer winter weather. We also plan to hire and develop our ongoing testing team near the Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York.

What will you do with the GENIUS funds?
We will use the funds to open our test site at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York, hire commercial drone pilots to operate the test site, commercialize our new guided technology for additional use cases, as well as hire additional business development and engineering staff.

Company Name: Dronehub
Company HQ: Rzeszów, Poland
Team Size: 15
Focus: Docking stations for drones
Interview with: Vadym Melnyk, Founder and CEO
 
Tell us about your company:
We are inventors and passionate about robotics. We believe that possible human error can be eliminated from processes like surveillance, monitoring, or package delivery by designing systems in a way that ultimately limits the human factor. Dronehub is an ecosystem of autonomous drones, ground infrastructure, and AI software designed to fully automate monitoring and data collection. Our hardware solutions make it possible to deploy drone services in any terrain and in all-weather scenarios. We are the first company in the world that can put a hub on a boat so that the drones that use our system can maximize the monitoring of an offshore wind powerplant. We are the only manufacturer in the world that offers monitoring, inspection, measurement systems, cargo transport systems, and mobile ground infrastructure. We also make unique, workflow-based software, which enables us to spend minutes (compared to days) to implement customer requests to our drone data. 
 
When and how did your company start?
In 2015, we began as Cervi Robotics, which provided consulting, prototyping and solution implementation services focused on robotics, uncrewed aerial vehicles and the Internet of Things (IoT.)  In 2020, we went through rebranding by narrowing down our specialization and completely switching to building only automated drone systems. The decision to change our focus was caused by the market interest for extensive, modern, and unique drone systems dedicated to inspection and monitoring. 

Where did the idea for your startup come from?
Dronehub helps industries automate data collection to inform business decisions. We replace hazardous man-hours with a solution that collects intelligent drone data in a fully autonomous way. Dronehub is an ecosystem of autonomous drones, a Dronehub station, and AI-based software designed to optimize monitoring and generate real-time insights.

Who is your ideal customer?
Our ideal customer (or in general, a target market) can be defined as autonomous surveillance. We are targeting companies that have large terrains/infrastructures and where human monitoring is not efficient. Over the years, we have defined five sectors for Dronehub: oil and gas, energy market, railway, security, and critical infrastructure. All of them have different sales cycles and require different partners.
 
What can we expect from your company in the near future?
In the context of the American market, we assume that in 2023 we will not only have a company registered in the U.S., but we will also be able to show the effectiveness and innovation of our Dronehub system after their installation in the U.S. This will help us to demonstrate in a practical way the application and efficiency of our system to American customers.

Why are you excited about GENIUS NY?
Participation in the GENIUS NY program is of great importance to us on two levels. Number one, these nearly three months that we’ve spent here as members of the 6th cohort gave us an injection of knowledge, practical advice and contacts that will translate into the development of our business, and the effectiveness of our activities both in the U.S. and in Europe. Number two, we feel honored that out of so many companies from around the world that applied for participation in the program, it was our vision, our development idea and our achievements so far that allowed us to get to the top-five finalists. It is a confirmation that the path we chose earlier is the right one. And this motivates us to keep working hard on the development of Dronehub.

What are you most looking forward to while staying in Syracuse?
We want to win. It is our goal to convince the judges that Dronehub is destined for success. Of course, we appreciate and fully respect the other four startups that are competing with us for the grand prize. Each of them are amazing, have their own ideas for development, and present well. Competition aspect aside, I believe that a program like GENIUS NY is of great importance for the development of the entire UAV industry. During these three months, we saw the great ideas our colleagues from the other four companies have, how much work and thought they put in for their companies and, at the same time, the entire UAV sector to develop. Regardless of which company wins—although I strongly believe that our concept will win first place—we will definitely win together for the UAV industry.

What will you do with the GENIUS funds?
The grand prize will allow us to develop Dronehub structures in the U.S. We want to use this money to create a dynamic and effective sales team, as well as to intensify promotional activities. We are confident that selecting Dronehub as the grand prize winner of the 6th GENIUS NY will also bring many benefits to New York and the tech industry across the U.S. Certainly, building a highly recognizable brand in the U.S. will be supported by the presence of our hubs here in New York State. This will allow us to organize presentations for specific clients as well as organize demo days for the general public and the media. We plan to spend money hiring engineers and local tech talent to kick off and start growing in the U.S. market. The money will also support us in moving part of the manufacturing and assembling to the U.S. If we win the grand prize, we will also be able to provide our Polish services to the U.S. market, which will transfer its experience and knowledge to the U.S. and in New York state. 

Company Name:  Archangel Imaging
Company HQ:  Harwell Space Campus, Oxfordshire, UK
Team Size:  Currently 21. Local recruitment in Syracuse is underway for engineering and business development roles. 
Focus: We make autonomous machines, like drones and ground cameras, smarter, more resilient and easier to work with as teammates, rather than vulnerable tools that need constant management.
Interview with: 
Dan Sola, Founder and CEO
Charles Smith, Founder and CCO
 
Tell us about your company:
We make autonomous machines smarter, more resilient and easier to work with as teammates. Despite advances in remotely operated technologies, problems like people-trafficking, oil pipeline tapping, and poaching of endangered species continue to exist, particularly in remote areas with limited infrastructure.  Police and defense personnel are exposed to even greater risk in remote operations and the infrastructure (including satellite navigation) is often specifically targeted.

Tomorrow, hybrid human-machine teams will be much more effective in protecting assets, people and the planet at scale, but technology must operate without depending on human attention or vulnerable infrastructure. You can think of our products as AI copilots, providing mission decisions and on-board detection, for remote monitoring and platform independence in challenging environments - without reliable communications, power or GPS infrastructure.

Why did you start the company?
We worked on cutting edge drone technology for many years, helping set a bunch of world records. We were deeply frustrated by how little of the world’s leading technology became world-changing. We set out to analyze where the blocks were that prevented drones and robotics systems from delivering more value, and the reasons why problems like oil pipeline tapping, people smuggling and poaching of critically endangered species continue, despite the range and deployability of remote and uncrewed technology.  We realized there are two big blockers:  One, complex problems all need complex solutions, and human attention remains the limiting bottleneck; and two, infrastructure - particularly for communications - is either the target or is missing entirely (because...elephants don't watch Netflix.) 

Who is your ideal customer?
We are veteran-founded and owned, and we focus on supporting users in remote, exposed, or challenging environments, including police, service personnel, first responders and NGOs. The challenges of operating in RF & GNSS denied environments are much more immediate and create a much bigger impact. Our technology helps keep our people safe, and our demonstrable capabilities have led to strong pull across UK MOD, a success we are looking to replicate in the U.S. market as well.

We have built both our airborne and ground AI systems to enable other people's machines to become smart enough to be teammates, and resilient enough to continue operating in austere, changeable conditions.  We anticipate a lot of our future sales will come through channel and partner engagement. We are also operating in huge commercial markets within which we can efficiently scale, but for the next 18 months we'll be doubling down on success with government customers and channel.

What can we expect from your company in the near future?
We're working to grow activity in the U.S. market leveraging our success in the U.K. market. We see many synergies between both, and a very common set of problems that we can help users to overcome. We expect to announce some key UXV partnerships soon and will be flight testing both our non-GNSS navigation and patrol AI copilot capabilities in the U.S.

Version 2 of our Argonaut AI camera will be certified for U.S. markets and will be built in Syracuse.  Argonaut V2 is designed to meet the inbound demand we have not been able to service from the U.K.

Why are you excited about GENIUS NY?
The level of expertise, guidance, mentorship and the size of the network that is available to us as a cohort member is second to none. We have already learned a lot and grown as a business in the short time that we have been in the program and have received great support not just from the GENIUS NY team, but from current and previous cohort members as well. Being part of the GENIUS NY family is a great place to be.  

In addition, the size of the investment that the program offers has accelerated our plans to move into the U.S. and is enabling us to scale our growth at a much faster place that we could have without this. The investor community associated with GENIUS NY, the advisors and the team all provide a support and growth mindset that is significantly contributing to our increasing success. We've been looking at landing in the U.S. for a long time and we're very happy to have finally found our home.

What are you most looking forward to while staying in Syracuse?
Syracuse is a city on the up. The investment from the state, and the ecosystem that this is enabling, gives the city an exciting and energetic vibe. Also, they have a great social scene, with some amazing restaurants such as Dinosaur BBQ, bars and of course the football team – Go Orange! Location-wise, Syracuse is ideal with easy access to the Griffiss Institute and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Rome, NY, and only a short hop to New York City.  Outside of our own growth and hiring plans, we really want to unlock value (and revenue) for the rest of the ecosystem.  You could say we picked Syracuse for our neighbors. Lastly, you can drive to the Adirondacks, Niagara Falls and the Finger Lakes - there's plenty of natural beauty to enjoy.

What will you do with the GENIUS funds?
The funds will be used in three ways:
1. To create the U.S. arm of our business. We have already incorporated, are looking for local manufacturing for our Argonaut product line and are actively recruiting local talent.

2. Accelerate team growth and product releases.  Changing from a bootstrapped to an investment funding model will enable us to bring forward the product roadmap at pace and to accelerate team growth by hiring in anticipation.
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3. Enable partners and grow with them. We have a lot of history in drone technology, but we deliberately don't want to make better drones: we want to make drones better.  That means working with a wide selection of partners and helping them deliver value to their own customers.  We picked Syracuse because of the growing ecosystem in drones, the potential for nearby collaboration with AFRL (we're big fans of their ATAK work), the NUAIR test range and the large A&D primes active in Central New York.