Dronehub wins 500k USD from the world's largest incubator in the sector

Dronehub – the European leader in drone-in-a-box solutions – received 500,000 USD as a finalist in the American GENIUS NY program, which is the world's largest incubator for startups in the UAV, IoT and robotics industries. In early November, GENIUS NY announced the winners of this year's edition of its international competition.

The GENIUS NY program is the world's largest business accelerator competition focused on unmanned systems, data to decision and IoT. The 6th edition of the competition takes place in 2022 – from among all the entries, 5 winning companies were selected as the winners: Dronehub (Poland), Archangel Imaging (Great Britain), AVSS (Canada), Fusion Engineering (the Netherlands) and Wonder Robotics (Israel). Each winner received 500,000 USD, as well as full support in the business development in the US: free office space with full equipment in Syracuse, NY, business workshops and training, access to consultants and specialists, assistance in fundraising, legislation and marketing in the US, and the opportunity of free participation in selected conferences and events.

“These benefits are a huge injection of knowledge and energy necessary for our company’s further development on the American market. The US is the target market for Dronehub, as it allows us to properly scale sales and provides access to huge capital. Thanks to this prize and all the support we receive as GENIUS NY winners, we will significantly accelerate the process of expansion into the American market. In fact, we can already say that we are starting our operations in the US from now on” – says Dronehub founder and CEO, Vadym Melnyk.

Dronehub representatives have been present in the USA at the invitation of GENIUS NY since August. During this time, they benefit from full business and substantive support and participate in training courses and thematic events. In early November, the five winning companies took part in the grand finale – Pitch Finals – the winner of which received an additional 500,000 USD. During the gala organized at the Marriott hotel in Syracuse, NY each company had the opportunity to present its vision of development and strategy for success in the USA to experts, investors and competition organizers. The jury of the GENIUS NY program decided that the biggest prize – USD 1 million – would go to the British company Archangel Imaging.

"GENIUS NY Pitch Finals was an exciting opportunity to showcase the high-growth potential of the companies participating in this round of the program. Dronehub and all of the teams that are a part of cohort six are here because we know they are developing leading edge technologies that will contribute to our region's uncrewed systems industry” – says John Liddy Interim Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at CenterState CEO, that administers the program.

After the first three months of the program, culminating in the grand finale, the winning companies move to the second phase of the program, which will last until July 2023. During this time, the winners – with full support from the incubator – will build their position and operating structures on the American market.

„The teams now progress into phase two of the program where they will receive targeted resources and follow-on investment opportunities so they can accelerate their product development, U.S. manufacturing and operations, and hiring. We are incredibly proud of Dronehub's success and look forward to supporting their continued growth” – adds Liddy.

“During three months of meetings with specialists, training sessions and joint debates, we had the opportunity to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the other four winners of this year's edition. Apart from the aspect of competition for the highest prize – an additional 500,000 USD – I believe that a program like GENIUS NY is of great importance for the development of the entire UAV industry. We exchanged insights and contacts and together we looked for solutions to problems that affect the entire sector. As suppliers of complementary systems and solutions, we work together to develop the technology and usability of the drone industry” – adds Dronehub founder and CEO, Vadym Melnyk.

Dronehub is a European leader in comprehensive drone-in-a-box solutions, which include a drone, a docking station (hub) and software based on Artificial Intelligence. The company specializes in providing drone solutions for monitoring, inspection and security of critical and linear infrastructure and large areas. Thanks to proprietary solutions the Dronehub system does not need an operator and can work 24/7. Dronehub has carried out inspections e.g. for PKN Orlen and Deutsche Bahn, and also runs joint projects with the European Space Agency and the European Defense Agency.