3D Robotics, a US-based robotics company which makes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has raised a $30m series B financing round co-led by new investor, venture capital firm Foundry Group, along with existing investors, venture capital firm True Ventures, O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, publisher O’Reilly Media’s corporate venturing unit, and seed stage investment firm SK Ventures.
Jason Mendelson of Foundry Group joins the 3D Robotics board of directors.
The company will use the funds to expand its development and deployment of advanced UAV applications, with a focus on agricultural crop mapping and other commercial aerial survey technology.
Previously, in November 2012, 3D Robotics raised more than $5m from a consortium including O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, True Ventures and angel investor Chris Michel.
Chris Anderson, chief executive officer of 3D Robotics, said: “The opportunity to bring ‘big data’ to agriculture through low-cost automated aerial crop surveys could be a game-changer for both farming and the UAV industry alike. Adding UAVs to the precision agriculture toolkit of a 21st Century farmer gives them the power to use imaging data to not only increase yield, but decrease water use and the chemical load in both food and environment.”
3D Robotics was founded in 2009 by former Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson.