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Flyby Robotics is a technology company.
Flyby Robotics engineers programmable drones equipped with onboard GPU compute for AI applications. Offering an open architecture, its systems enable developers to deploy custom machine learning models and integrate sensors. These drones are suited for critical missions including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), photogrammetry, and data collection in diverse operational environments.
The company was founded in 2020 by Jason H. Lu and Cat Orman, who initially collaborated at Yale University. Their founding insight centered on creating an open, programmable, and computationally robust drone platform for advanced AI at the edge, addressing hardware and software integration needs.
Flyby Robotics caters to operators engaged in traditional drone tasks and developers pushing AI capabilities in public safety and precision mapping. Its vision is to propel the drone industry by delivering intuitive, capable UAV platforms, fostering seamless autonomous system adoption across industrial and commercial sectors.
Flyby Robotics has raised $8.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Flyby Robotics has raised $8.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Flyby Robotics has raised $8.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Flyby Robotics's investors include MaC Venture Capital, Balaji S., Cliff Sirlin, Karen Pritzker, Naval Ravikant, Ryan Hoover, Anthemis, Evening Fund, Gaingels, Weekend Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Feenix Ventures.
Flyby Robotics is a Los Angeles-based technology company founded in 2020 that develops autonomous, machine learning-enabled drones for industrial, reconnaissance, and delivery applications.[1][3][4][5] The company builds the F-11 Series of rugged, NDAA-compliant UAVs with massive onboard computing power (up to 314 TOPS via NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX), open architecture for developer customization, and support for missions like ISR, photogrammetry, inspections, public safety, and rapid urban deliveries.[1][3][4] It serves developers, operators in aerospace sectors, and urban delivery markets by solving problems like slow, costly ground-based logistics—enabling sub-5-minute drone deliveries of food, essentials, or data collection at lower costs—and reshoring U.S. drone manufacturing with edge AI capabilities.[2][3][4] Backed by seed funding including a $4M round, Flyby shows growth through venture investment and modular hardware tailored for AI integration.[1][3]
Flyby Robotics, operating as Kiki Airlift Inc., was founded in 2020 by CEO Jason Lu, a political refugee who co-founded the drone startup amid rising demand for U.S.-made autonomous systems.[3][5] The idea emerged from the need to reshore America's drone fleet, focusing on modular, ML-enabled platforms for industry, reconnaissance, and on-demand urban delivery to bypass 40-minute car waits with instant aerial service.[2][3] Early traction included a $4M funding round highlighted for delivering sushi and smoothies in under 4 minutes, plus seed VC - II, signaling investor confidence in its edge AI and retrofitting tech for city-scale fleets.[1][3]
Flyby Robotics rides the autonomous drone and urban air mobility trend, fueled by AI advancements, NDAA regulations favoring U.S. manufacturing, and e-commerce demand for instant logistics amid labor shortages.[1][2][3][4] Timing aligns with post-2020 drone policy shifts and edge computing booms (e.g., NVIDIA integrations), enabling scalable fleets for deliveries, ISR, and inspections in a $100B+ aerospace market.[1][4] Market forces like rising urban congestion and reshoring initiatives work in its favor, positioning Flyby to influence ecosystems by democratizing AI drone dev tools and reducing foreign hardware reliance.[3]
Flyby Robotics is poised to scale F-11 deployments in defense, logistics, and smart cities, leveraging seed momentum toward Series A amid drone delivery pilots and AI hardware upgrades.[1][2][3] Trends like beyond-visual-line-of-sight approvals, 5G-enabled swarms, and climate-driven logistics shifts will accelerate growth, potentially evolving its role from niche manufacturer to fleet operator influencing U.S. drone dominance.[4] As urban skies open, Flyby's open platform could spark a developer ecosystem, tying back to its core mission of instant, American-made aerial innovation.[2][3]
Flyby Robotics has raised $8.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $4.0M Pre-Seed in April 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 2023 | $4.0M Pre-Seed | MaC Venture Capital | Balaji S., Cliff Sirlin, Karen Pritzker, Naval Ravikant, Ryan Hoover, Anthemis, Evening Fund, Gaingels, Weekend Fund |
| Jul 1, 2022 | $4.0M Seed | Andreessen Horowitz, Feenix Ventures, iNovia Capital, Jude Gomila Rolling Fund, MaC Venture Capital, Northside Ventures, The Hit Forge, Weekend Fund, Amjad Masad, Ed Baker |