What they do:
Robotics for wind turbine maintenance.
Quick facts:
HQ: Riga, Latvia
Top Drones Startups
This list has 45 startups and was last updated on Oct 15, 2026. 11 of them are hiring right now. Biggest hubs: San Francisco (16), Los Angeles (8), and Boston (3). Largest teams: Aerones, Zeitview, and Volansi.
45 startupsPage 1 of 2
What they do:
Inspection software for renewable energy & sustainable infrastructure
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Skyways
Hiring
What they do:
Creating a new form of air transportation to advance our civilization
Quick facts:
HQ: Austin, TX, United States
What they do:
Autonomous drones to help warehouses scan inventory.
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HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
What they do:
We build robots for dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs.
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HQ: Charlotte, NC, United States
Guardian RF
Hiring
What they do:
Drone detection for US defense and national security
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HQ: Washington, DC, United States
What they do:
Drone submarines
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HQ: Philadelphia, PA, United States
Kalam Labs
Hiring
What they do:
Autonomous Stratospheric UAVs
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HQ: India
Splash Inc.
Hiring
What they do:
Autonomous patrol-boats for National Security
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HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
We deploy autonomous drones to 911 calls. Our software gives first…
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HQ: Houston, TX, United States
Theseus
Hiring
What they do:
GPS Denied Navigation for Drones
Quick facts:
HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
Seeing Systems
Hiring
What they do:
Modular AI-Commanded Drones for Defence
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HQ: London, United Kingdom
What they do:
Flirtey is the world’s first commercial drone delivery service and…
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HQ: Blountville, TN, United States
Voltair
Hiring
What they do:
Autonomous Drones for Earth Observation
Quick facts:
HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
What they do:
Flying motorcycles
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HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Fully autonomous defense solutions for the global edge.
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HQ: Raleigh, NC, United States
What they do:
Robot Cowboys that Herd Cattle with AI Drones
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Vernius Systems, Inc.
Hiring
What they do:
Mass-deployable radars for air defense
Quick facts:
HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
Buoyant Aero
Hiring
What they do:
Bringing back blimps
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HQ: New York, NY, United States
What they do:
We build micro-drones that kill mosquitoes.
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IMPACT Drones
Hiring
What they do:
Air Defense as a Service for Civilian Infrastructure.
Quick facts:
HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
What they do:
Drone swarm defence at a small-unit level
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HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
What they do:
Building persistent, high-performance infrastructure in the sky
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HQ: Seattle, WA, United States
What they do:
Hypersonic space plane that can take-off from any location and weather
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HQ: Dayton, OH, United States
What they do:
Unified flight software and hardware for the mission of tomorrow
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HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
What they do:
We're building robot birds for surveillance.
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HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Building drone swarms that hunt hidden enemies.
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HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
What they do:
Unmanned cargo airplanes
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HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Technology to detect and track small drones
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HQ: London, United Kingdom
What they do:
USA-made magnetics for robotics and defense.
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HQ: Boston, MA, United States
What they do:
The fully autonomous intelligence layer in the sky.
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HQ: Boston, MA, United States
What they do:
Quick-turn, purpose-built motors & actuators for all
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HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Precision navigation for UAVs operating without GPS.
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HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
What they do:
Android for drones
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HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
What they do:
Avion builds and operates autonomous eVTOL drones that deliver vital…
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HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
YC W20Early stage
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HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Questions and answers
How many startups are on this list?
There are 45 startups on this list, last updated on Oct 15, 2026.
Which of them are hiring?
11 of them are hiring right now, including Skyways, Guardian RF, and Kalam Labs.
Which of them have the largest teams?
By team size: Aerones (250 employees), Zeitview (200 employees), and Volansi (85 employees).
Where are they based?
The biggest hubs are San Francisco (16), Los Angeles (8), and Boston (3).