US drone firm Skydio valued at $1 billion as government freezes out Chinese competition
Skydio's X2 drone is aimed at enterprise and military customers. | Image: Skydio Skydio has become the first US dronemaker with a valuation of more than $1 billion, a signal of deeper investment in American-made drones after the US government blacklisted Chinese manufacturers. The California-based Skydio raised $170 million in a Series D funding round led by VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, as first reported by The Financial Times.
Skydio's drones are best known for their self-flying tech, which allows the aircraft to autonomously navigate obstacles and track users on the ground. The company released its first drone in 2018, the $2500 R1, aiming the product at consumers. It followed this up with the smarter and much cheaper $999 Skydio 2 in 2019, and last year announced its first drone aimed specifically at enterprise...