Global Shaper 2014: Flyability, safe drones for inaccessible places
29.11.2017
This summer we asked you to vote for your favorite of our supported startups from the past 10 years: those that you felt had the power to change the world. We announced our Global Shapers at our 10 year anniversary event on 29th November and will update you with them on our website throughout December.
 Flyability
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FLYABILITY: SAFE DRONE FOR INACCESSIBLE PLACES
Drones are cool, but are they safe? Flying robots are steadily being incorporated into a wide variety of industries, with global sales of drones reaching $8.5bn in 2016 and expected to surpass $12bn by 2021. This growth has caught the attention of industries where inspection is often a costly and time-consuming activity, with inspection robots in the oil & gas industry alone expected to reach a market value of $2.85bn in 2025. In the fast-growing industry of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), there are two critical issues which often prevent industry players from deploying the technology: collision and injury risks. Current products on the market are often difficult to control, not safe to be flown near people or prone to collision and it is these limitations that hold back the inspection drone market.
INSECT-INSPIRED DRONES FOR INACCESSIBLE PLACES
Spun off from EPFL in 2014, Flyability’s inspection drone, Elios, came about after a group of PhD graduates and engineers looked to nature to understand how to make UAVs more robust. In studying insects, they saw that avoiding collisions is not necessary, and that their drone, much like the insects studied, just need to be able to recover from crashes quickly and move on. Thus the world’s first collision-tolerant drone was born. By using a unique cage and gimbal system, flight in complex, cluttered or indoor spaces is made possible and, therefore, Elios unleashes the potential for UAVs to be used where previously im¬possible. By sending Elios into industrial inspection for the energy, heavy industries, oil and gas, or Maritime industries, companies can safely inspect their assets without having to send their human workers into small, cramped and often dangerous environ¬ments. Alongside industrial inspection, Flyability is also working with search and rescue teams to as¬sess emergency situations, such as those after an earthquake, as first responders to quickly and safely locate victims. Only three years after incorporation, Flyability has already been adopted by more than 250 companies across a wide range of sectors.
SUCCESS STORY
In 2014, Flyability announced the completion of the first external round of equity capital from European and Swiss business angels. In February 2015, the team won the $1m prize in the prestigious UAE Drones for Good Competition in Dubai. The company achieved sales of CHF 2m in 2016, pre¬dicted to triple in 2017. This success story was also made possible thanks to Venture Kick: „When launching a startup in Switzerland, Venture Kick is for many entrepreneurs the support needed to ‘survive’ during the first precious months and prepare for the next steps. Furthermore, the pathway to each stage of Venture Kick is recognized as a serious pledge by Swiss business angels.” says CEO Patrick Thévoz. Additionally, for two consecutive years Flyability was elected in the TOP 3 of the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award. They also flew to China in 2017 to meet potential investors as part of venture leaders China.
See what people are saying on Twitter using the hashtags #10YVentureKick for our anniversary and #VentureKickGS for our Global Shapers
Drones are cool, but are they safe? Flying robots are steadily being incorporated into a wide variety of industries, with global sales of drones reaching $8.5bn in 2016 and expected to surpass $12bn by 2021. This growth has caught the attention of industries where inspection is often a costly and time-consuming activity, with inspection robots in the oil & gas industry alone expected to reach a market value of $2.85bn in 2025. In the fast-growing industry of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), there are two critical issues which often prevent industry players from deploying the technology: collision and injury risks. Current products on the market are often difficult to control, not safe to be flown near people or prone to collision and it is these limitations that hold back the inspection drone market.
INSECT-INSPIRED DRONES FOR INACCESSIBLE PLACES
Spun off from EPFL in 2014, Flyability’s inspection drone, Elios, came about after a group of PhD graduates and engineers looked to nature to understand how to make UAVs more robust. In studying insects, they saw that avoiding collisions is not necessary, and that their drone, much like the insects studied, just need to be able to recover from crashes quickly and move on. Thus the world’s first collision-tolerant drone was born. By using a unique cage and gimbal system, flight in complex, cluttered or indoor spaces is made possible and, therefore, Elios unleashes the potential for UAVs to be used where previously im¬possible. By sending Elios into industrial inspection for the energy, heavy industries, oil and gas, or Maritime industries, companies can safely inspect their assets without having to send their human workers into small, cramped and often dangerous environ¬ments. Alongside industrial inspection, Flyability is also working with search and rescue teams to as¬sess emergency situations, such as those after an earthquake, as first responders to quickly and safely locate victims. Only three years after incorporation, Flyability has already been adopted by more than 250 companies across a wide range of sectors.
SUCCESS STORY
In 2014, Flyability announced the completion of the first external round of equity capital from European and Swiss business angels. In February 2015, the team won the $1m prize in the prestigious UAE Drones for Good Competition in Dubai. The company achieved sales of CHF 2m in 2016, pre¬dicted to triple in 2017. This success story was also made possible thanks to Venture Kick: „When launching a startup in Switzerland, Venture Kick is for many entrepreneurs the support needed to ‘survive’ during the first precious months and prepare for the next steps. Furthermore, the pathway to each stage of Venture Kick is recognized as a serious pledge by Swiss business angels.” says CEO Patrick Thévoz. Additionally, for two consecutive years Flyability was elected in the TOP 3 of the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award. They also flew to China in 2017 to meet potential investors as part of venture leaders China.
See what people are saying on Twitter using the hashtags #10YVentureKick for our anniversary and #VentureKickGS for our Global Shapers