Unifly, a Belgium-based developer of software that manages drone traffic, has secured €14.6m ($16.6m) in a series B round featuring unmanned aerial vehicle operator Terra Drone and air traffic control manager Deutsche Flugsicherung.
Inter-university venture capital fund Qbic Fund and the Flemish government-owned PMV also took part in the round, which brought the company’s total funding to $26.5m.
Founded in 2015, Unifly provides software that helps regulatory authorities approve and manage drones operating in their airspace.
Drone pilots can receive flight approval through the platform, get guidance on local and international regulations, manage their batteries and track their operations through an automated logbook.
Terra Drone had previously led a $5.3m funding round for Unifly in 2016 that included Qbic Fund and PMV, the latter two having supplied $1.3m in seed funding for the company the previous year.
Klaus-Dieter Scheurle, CEO of DFS, said: “DFS and Unifly share the same vision about what needs to be done to enable this dynamic drone market. The unique combination of the leading [unmanned traffic management] software provider and our know how as one of the major air navigation service providers in Europe.”