Voliro is combining drone technology and robotics to change the future of monitoring oil and gas infrastructure.
What’s happening:
- Aerial mobile robotics startup Voliro has raised $12M USD in a Series A financing round
- The round was led by prominent European venture capital fund Cherry Ventures
The big idea:
- Voliro has developed a new type of drone that has robotics capabilities that are purpose built for monitoring energy infrastructure
- Voliro’s flagship drone known as the Voliro T is able to operate in rural areas and use both robotics and sensor technology to psychically interact with objects and perform inspections of large scale energy infrastructure that would not be possible with traditional drones
- The Voliro T also leverages artificial intelligence technology to be capable of operating completely autonomously or fly on predetermined flight paths
By the numbers:
- Voliro has raised $22M USD in venture capital funding since inception
- Voliro is currently being used in 17 countries globally and performs 100 inspections monthly
Going deeper:
- Voliro has landed major partnerships with some of the largest energy companies in the world including Shell (NYSE: SHEL), Malaysian oil and gas giant Petronas and Exelon (NASDAQ: EXC) subsidiary Constellation Clearsight
The intrigue:
- Using aerial technology to monitor energy infrastructure has been attracting a flurry of venture capital funding lately, with BlackRock previously notably leading the Series D financing round of Kairos Aerospace who leverages spectrometer technology to detect methane leaks from oil and gas operations
