Airgility

Airgility builds Artificial Intelligence-powered aerial robots — designed to travel where no other machines can go.

These unmanned drones can fly anywhere, including areas where there is limited or no GPS access. This enables them to conduct critical missions, including search & rescue, border protection, and medical supply delivery.

Since the Federal Aviation Administration implemented regulations for unmanned aircraft in 2016, the drone industry has skyrocketed. Between military, commercial, and consumer applications, this has become a $100 billion market.

Airgility has been issued a patent for its drones and has two additional patents pending. It’s also received $450,000 in grants from the National Science Foundation and the Maryland Industrial Partnership.

Notably, this company has completed five successful field deployments with the Department of Homeland Security. Now the government organization has submitted pre-orders for Airgility’s drones.

As mentioned, Airgility’s machines are unlike any other unmanned aerial vehicle. That’s because most drones and robots are limited by computational capacity, and require some degree of human control.

For example, robots can potentially save lives, either by removing people from danger, or preventing them from being sent into dangerous situations. However, these machines are often limited in their efforts due to underdeveloped technology.

Meanwhile, machines that require “cloud” connectivity are useless in many natural disaster locations. These are often where weather conditions, barriers, or tunnels can interfere with critical connections to remotely operate the machine.

Airgility’s drones, in contrast, don’t rely on human control or GPS information. Powered by a proprietary operating system, these aerial robots operate independently in complex environments. They leverage AI and machine learning to determine what they should do, when they should do it, and how to complete the task.

The company’s unique technology is built upon the fusion of multiple sensors, which assist with mapping for obstacle avoidance and autonomous flight. This technology enables drones to prioritize tasks in emergency situations, and provide information in real-time.

Airgility’s drones are built with modular components, which allow for simple on-site repair in the event of a crash or system failure.

Airgility is in the product launch stage of its first drone, the DS-1. This will be used for inspections and first response efforts. At the same time, the company is developing two other models: the MS-1 and HS-1. The MS-1 will be used for reconnaissance-related missions and the HS-1 will be used for delivery and communication.

Revenue will come from sales of Airgility’s drones and accompanying software. The company plans to sell each drone for between $5,000 and $10,000, and sales are expected to be both direct-to-business and direct-to-government. Airgility is exploring relationships with government contractors and aims to establish distribution partnerships.

As part of its plans to aid first responders, Airgility is attempting to use its DS-1 drone to help fight Covid-19. To do this, the company has outfitted its drone with UVC light technology, which could be used to disinfect indoor and outdoor spaces. These drones are expected to be launched later this year.

Team Background

Evandro Valente - Co-Founder & CTO

Evandro has more than 15 years of experience designing and building unmanned aerial vehicles.

Prior to starting Airgility, he was a materials and process engineer for GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric focused on commercial aircraft. In addition, he was a senior design engineer with Maritime Applied Physics Corporation, an engineering company. While there, he conducted simulations and flight testing support, and was an unmanned aerial vehicle test pilot for projects conducted on behalf of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

For the past 13 years, along with his work with Airgility, Evandro has served as a professor at the University of Maryland School of Engineering. He earned his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree from this school in Aerospace Engineering.

Pramod Raheja - Co-Founder & CEO

Pramod is a serial entrepreneur with a background in aerospace engineering.

The bulk of his experience in the industry comes from a 23-year career with United Airlines. While there, he served as a crew resource management instructor and a pilot.

During this time, he also served as Owner of Intelligent Office, a telecommunications company. He started this business after six years as Founder and CEO of mystaffNOW, a hiring and staffing company.

Earlier in his career, Pramod was an account manager with Safer Healthcare, a products and services company targeting the healthcare industry. He began his career as a flight officer with Atlantic Southeast Airlines.

Pramod earned a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland.

Co-Investors