UK drone pilot marketplace Airstoc raises $700,000 in seed funding

Airstoc, an online marketplace for drone pilots, has raised $700,000 in seed funding from Point Nine Capital, Launchub, and Thibaud Elziere.

The UK startup, founded in 2013 and based in Sheffield, connects drone pilots with businesses looking for aerial photography services. It recently passed 5,000 drone pilots in more than 100 countries registered on the platform, making it the largest marketplace of its kind, and counts Sky, BBC, Redbull, and Adidas among its customer base. Other use cases include industries like agriculture, construction, and real estate.

“Until about two years ago businesses had very limited options when it came to aerial photos and videos. Not only were they very expensive, they were tremendously complex to organise and put a huge strain on resources and time,” said Giles Moore, CEO and founder of Airstoc. “With Airstoc, getting a professionally ­filmed video has become as easy as booking a hotel online.”

Airstoc marks Point Nine Capital’s first investment in the drone market, said Christoph Janz, founder of the investment firm.

The startup recently signed up its 5,000th drone pilot to the service – Kostas Klitsogiannis of Greek company Icarus Air Filming. “I found Airstoc when I was looking for a central drone platform to showcase my work to potential customers. They have been fantastic from the beginning and I have received multiple jobs from various customers already,” he said.

Airstoc now has drone pilots listed in 105 countries, spreading its user base into countries like Kyrgyzstan and Ethiopia, and is broadening its scope to provide drone pilots for more industries like events, travel, and tourism.