Belgian UTM company Unifly NV has completed a EUR17 million Series B capital funding round.
Unifly’s most recent investor is Belgium’s Federal Holding and Investment Company (SFPI-FPIM), says a company press release. FPIM centrally manages the federal government’s shareholdings, cooperates with the government on specific projects and pursues its own investment policy in the interests of the Belgian economy. It acquires equity in companies that are of strategic importance.
Existing investors Terra Drone (drone services provider in Japan), QBIC and PMV (Belgian early stage investors) also participated in the round. Bryan, Garnier & Co., Europe’s growth investment bank, advised Unifly on this transaction.
Marc Kegelaers, CEO of Unifly said: “Bryan, Garnier & Co was the investment banker that helped Unifly secure this successful B-round. This funding round will enable Unifly to continue building its world-leading features and to expand the product offering. This now includes the BLIP which acts as an electronic license plate for drones, combined with high-precision drone tracking. We will continue to grow our international presence and secure additional contracts in the global UTM ‘land grab’. Future markets could be even larger, with the rise of air taxis, with integration between autonomous cars and drones, and with drone UTM software predicted to take over traditional aircraft as they become increasingly automated.”
Unifly is a provider of UTM software worldwide, enabling the tracking and management of drones alongside commercial aviation in order to provide visibility on where drones can fly, request and provide flight approvals, manage potential conflicts and implement regulations including no-fly zones. The company has won national level contracts with the ANSPs of Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Austria, and is the selected provider in several US regions including the pioneering NuAir North Eastern UAS flight corridor and research site. Unifly manages drone corridors in Japan and Malawi among others and is a selected technology provider for the US FAAs LAANC programme.
