US-based aerial data provider Kespry received $33m on Tuesday in a series C round featuring subsidiaries of networking technology producer Cisco, petroleum supplier Shell and power and automation group ABB.
Cisco Investments, Shell Technology Ventures and ABB Ventures were joined by venture capital fund G2VP, which led the round, Lightspeed Venture Partners, DCM Ventures, Spectrum 28 and H. Barton Asset Management.
Founded in 2013, Kespry allows organisations to source specialised aerial data through its unmanned aerial vehicles on demand.
Clients can program a ‘mission’ using an iPad provided by the company, and a Kespry drone will plot a flight path, using lidar technology to avoid obstacles, before the data it films is transferred to the Kespry app where it can be processed.
George Mathew, chief executive and chairman of Kespry, said: “We are incredibly pleased to have leading industrial tech investors recognise Kespry’s contributions to the future of work.
“The digital transformation in insurance, mining, construction and many other industries represents a massive market opportunity. This funding round enables us to fuel even more innovation through investment in R&D, sales and marketing to address these and future industrial needs.”
The company has now raised $61m altogether, including $12.3m in a 2014 series A round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, after Chmod Ventures had provided it with seed funding.
Kespry secured $16m in a June 2016 series B round led by DCM that also featured law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Spectrum 28, H Barton Asset Management and Rothernberg Ventures.