About Drone Fund
Drone Fund is a venture capital firm founded in 2017. It is primarily based out of Tokyo, Japan. As of Jun 2026, Drone Fund is an active investor, having invested in 72 companies, with 1 new investment in the last 12 months. It primarily invests in Seed round in Japan based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from High Tech to Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech and Enterprise Applications. Most recently it participated in the $***** Series B round of TriOrb Overall, Drone Fund portfolio has seen 2 IPOs and 1 acquisition, namely DroneDeploy, Blue Innovation and Liberaware. A lot of funds co-invest with Drone Fund, with names like Energy & Environment Investment sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. Drone Fund has team of 12 people including 2 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Count
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Seed, Series A & 2 more
Portfolio IPOs
Portfolio Acquisitions
Portfolio Soonicorns
Drone Fund's List of Top Investments
Drone Fund has a portfolio of 72 companies. Their most notable investments are in Future Quest and VFR.Their portfolio spans across Japan, United States, Germany and 4 more locations. They have invested in High Tech, Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech, Enterprise Applications and 16 other sectors, across stages such as Seed, Series A and 2 more. Here is the list of top investments by Drone Fund:
1. DroneDeploy
DroneDeploy provides a cloud software platform for commercial drones. It enables businesses to collect, manage & interpret drone data and also features imagery & analysis, 3D modeling & other capabilities from multiple drones remotely. Also offers a flight app compatible with iOS & Android devices to capture maps, photos, panoramas, and videos. It has applications across different industries, including agriculture, construction, mining, inspection, and surveying.
Key facts about DroneDeploy
- Founded Year: 2013
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Last Known Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $142M
- Employee Count: 389 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: 2020 Ventures, Bluepointe Ventures and 16 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series E, Feb 04, 2021, $*****
- Highlight: Acquired
Manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for lighter, smaller, more powerful, safer use. It focuses on next-generation lithium-ion battery production. The company develops batteries for a sustainable future. It has achieved ISO9001 certification for its mass production facility.
Key facts about TeraWatt Technology
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: Santa Clara (United States)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $5M
- Employee Count: 35 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: Temasek, Mirai Creation Fund and 23 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Apr 08, 2026, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
3. SkyDrive
Developer of compact electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft systems. These vehicles utilize advanced attitude control to facilitate takeoff and landing in confined urban environments, including building rooftops and small designated spaces. The design emphasizes structural simplicity and redundant systems to ensure operational reliability. The technology supports various applications, including urban transportation, tourism, emergency medical access, and disaster response. By enabling aerial transit from existing infrastructure, the platform aims to reduce ground traffic congestion and improve travel efficiency.
Key facts about SkyDrive
- Founded Year: 2018
- Location: Shinjuku City (Japan)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $175M
- Employee Count: 229 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Pegasus Tech Ventures, ITOCHU and 27 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Jul 05, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
4. Civ Robotics
Developer of robotic equipment for automated construction layout and surveying. The company provides equipment intended for use in infrastructure and renewable energy projects. Their products facilitate the marking of coordinates. The equipment is designed to be operated without prior land surveying experience.
Key facts about Civ Robotics
- Founded Year: 2018
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Series A
- Total Funding till date: $12.5M
- Employee Count: 35 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: Trimble, Param Ventures and 12 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series A, Jul 01, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
5. Aerodyne
Provider of SaaS and AI-based drone analytics platform. The data collected by drones is processed by AI-based proprietary software in order to offer actionable insights. Its nested drones return to automated stations for data download and autonomous recharging for subsequent missions.
Key facts about Aerodyne
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Cyberjaya (Malaysia)
- Annual Revenue: $10M - $50M as on Dec 31, 2021
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $113M
- Employee Count: 393 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: Innovation Endeavors, North Summit Capital and 28 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Sep 08, 2022, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Drone Fund's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Drone Fund has invested in 72 companies over the last 9 years, with an average of 4 new investments annually in the last 5 years. In 2025, it made 8 investments, while as of Jun 2026, it has made 1 investment in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in HiBot and most recent follow-on round was in TriOrb.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
2025 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
2024 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
2023 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
2022 | 7 | 1 | 8 |
2021 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
2020 | 9 | 2 | 11 |
2019 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
2018 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
2017 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Drone Fund's Investments by Stage
Drone Fund has made 20 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $1.77M, 19 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $6.78M, 4 investments in Series B stage with an average round size of $14.7M and 1 investment in Conventional Debt stage.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Seed | 20 |
Series A | 19 |
Series B | 4 |
Conventional Debt | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Drone Fund's Investments by Sector
Drone Fund has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the High Tech, Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech, Industrial Goods and Manufacturing, Enterprise Applications and Energy Tech. Notably, it has invested in 47 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 41 Tech companies, 32 Tech hardware companies and at least 23 companies focusing on Software.Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
High Tech | 22 |
Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech | 20 |
Industrial Goods and Manufacturing | 11 |
Enterprise Applications | 8 |
Energy Tech | 7 |
Others | 50 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Drone Fund's Investments by Geography
Drone Fund has made most investments in Japan (35), followed by United States where it has made 3 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Japan | 35 |
United States | 3 |
Brazil | 1 |
Canada | 1 |
Germany | 1 |
Others | 3 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Drone Fund's recent investments
Drone Fund has made 1 investments in 2026 so far - TriOrb.Here are the most recent investments by Drone Fund:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 01, 2026 | Japan | Series B | 8953 | [+7] | |
Dec 24, 2025 | Japan | Conventional Debt | 7807 | [+1] | |
Dec 10, 2025 | Japan | Series D | 5132 | ||
Nov 21, 2025 | Japan | Series B | 6784 | [+2] | |
Nov 04, 2025 | United States | Series B | 6452 | [+5] |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in Drone Fund's Portfolio
2 of Drone Fund's portfolio companies have become public. Liberaware got listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), in Jul 2024 at marketcap of $34.6M and Blue Innovation got listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) at marketcap of $35.8M.Here are Drone Fund's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jul 29, 2024 | Apr 24, 2019 | Series A | 9929 | |
Dec 12, 2023 | - | - | 9047 |
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Acquired companies in Drone Fund's Portfolio
1 company from Drone Fund's portfolio has been acquired. The most recent acquisition was DroneDeploy in Jul 2026 by Procore for $*****.Here are Drone Fund's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jul 30, 2026 | - | - | 8282 |
Team profile of Drone Fund
Drone Fund has a team of 12 members including 2 Partners and 2 Principals located in Japan. Drone Fund's team does not sit on the board of any company as of now.Here is a list of top team members in Drone Fund:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | Kamakura | - | ||
Partner | - | - | - | |
Principal | Tokyo | - | ||
Principal | Minato | - | - |
Co-investors of Drone Fund
Over the past 9 years, 275 investors have co-invested in Drone Fund's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Drone Fund: Europa, TERRA and 48 others have invested in rounds before Drone Fund. There are 2 companies where Europa has invested before Drone Fund and 1 company where TERRA has invested before Drone Fund.
- Top Co-investors of Drone Fund: 78 investors entered a company along with Drone Fund. These include investors like Energy & Environment Investment (3 companies).
- Invested after Drone Fund: A total of 147 investors have invested in Drone Fund's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include Mizuho Financial Group (3 companies), MUFG Bank (2 companies) and ITOCHU Technology Ventures (2 companies).
Recent News related to Drone Fund
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Sunflower Labs Closes $16M Series B FundingFinSMEs•Nov 04, 2025•Sequoia Capital, Gentian Investments, Drone Fund, Atlas Venture and 4 others
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FormX raises 130 million yen in seed funding to streamline disclosure operationsTHE BRIDGE•Sep 25, 2025•FormX, Drone Fund, Genesis
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Wingcopter secures funding and strengthens leadership team for expansion.Silicon Canals•Jun 27, 2025•Wingcopter, European Investment Bank, REWE, ITOCHU and 2 others
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SORA Technology Receives Funds to Expand Drone and AI Solutions for Global Health in AfricaInnovation-village•May 30, 2025•Nissay Capital, SMBC Asia Rising Fund, Drone Fund, Regional Talent Future and 1 other
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U-Tonic Inc. Secures ¥520 Million in Series A FundingStartup Log•May 15, 2025•Utonic, Drone Fund, Hakuhodo, GOLDEN EGG Ventures and 1 other
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Mast Reforestation Raises $25M in Series B FundingFinSMEs•Feb 12, 2025•Mast, Pulse Fund, Social Capital, Seven Seven Six and 9 others
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LOMBY Inc., developer of the automated delivery robot "LOMBY," raises a total of 270 million yen in pre-series A fundingStartup Log•Oct 01, 2024•LOMBY, Drone Fund, Global Suzuki, and 3 others
