ScoutDI is a technology company.
ScoutDI has raised $450K across 1 funding round.
ScoutDI has raised $450K in total across 1 funding round.
ScoutDI has raised $450K in total across 1 funding round.
ScoutDI's investors include Investinor.
ScoutDI is a Norwegian technology company specializing in tethered drone systems for safer, more efficient inspections of confined industrial spaces, such as cargo tanks in maritime and FPSO sectors.[1][2][3][4] Its core products—the Scout 137 drone and Scout Portal—form an end-to-end solution enabling no-human-entry inspections with unlimited flight time, 3D LiDAR for collision avoidance, high-resolution imaging, and cloud-based data analytics for anomaly detection and reporting.[1][2][4][5] ScoutDI serves industries like maritime, oil & gas, and heavy industry, solving critical problems of worker safety, reduced downtime, and digitalized asset management; it has gained traction with customers in over 20 countries across five continents, backed by investors including DNV Ventures, Equinor Ventures, and others.[3][4]
ScoutDI originated in 2017 from advanced Ph.D. research in robotics and cybernetics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, initially named Scout Drone Inspection before rebranding to emphasize its robot technology focus rather than services.[2][3] Key figures include Eivind Sivertsen and Håvard Eilertsen, with experts like Chief Scientific Officer Øystein Skotheim and Autonomy Engineer Kjersti Brynestad driving technical advancements.[1][2] Early traction came from developing tethered drones for GPS-denied environments, evolving into a full ecosystem; pivotal moments include DNV Ventures' 2021 investment and 2024 milestones like the world's first robotic FPSO cargo tank inspection with Shell (ABS class sign-off) and an autonomous inspection on a Klaveness carrier.[3]
ScoutDI rides the wave of digitalized industrial inspections, leveraging robotics, AI-driven autonomy, and cloud analytics to transform hazardous, manual processes in hard-to-abate sectors like maritime and energy.[2][3][5] Timing aligns with rising demands for worker safety regulations, predictive maintenance, and net-zero transitions, where drones cut risks and downtime amid labor shortages and aging infrastructure.[1][3] Market forces favoring it include investor momentum (e.g., NOK 31.8m round in Nov 2024 led by Såkorn 1 Midt) and synergies with projects like AUTOASSESS/Turritella, positioning ScoutDI to influence standards for robotic tank inspections globally.[1][3] With 30 employees and tech deployed on all continents, it accelerates the shift to data-driven asset integrity, inspiring ecosystem-wide adoption of tethered drones over scaffolding/climbers.[3][4]
ScoutDI is poised to dominate autonomous indoor inspections as Gen 3 Scout 137 scales with enhanced SLAM, ultrasonic sensors, and ML anomaly detection from ongoing R&D.[1][3][4] Trends like BVLOS regulations, digital twins integration, and Industry 4.0 will propel growth, potentially expanding beyond maritime to concrete/power sectors while chasing full autonomy for single-operator missions.[2][3][5] Its influence may evolve into industry standards via partnerships (DNV, Equinor, Shell), driving safer, efficient inspections worldwide—cementing its role as the benchmark for no-human-entry robotics in confined spaces.[3][4]
ScoutDI has raised $450K across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $450K Seed in June 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2018 | $450K Seed | Investinor |