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SiFly

Electric long-endurance multirotor drones for safety

Overview

SiFly designs and builds long-endurance, U.S.-made electric multirotor drones for public safety, critical-infrastructure inspection, agriculture and enterprise operations. Its flagship Q12 offers VTOL agility with fixed-wing-like efficiency, delivering four to five times longer flight times and up to ten times the range of typical enterprise drones while carrying payloads up to 10 pounds. The company is also developing DronePort, a multi-drone infrastructure system for persistent coverage, enabling concepts like drone-as-first-responder. SiFly differentiates itself by manufacturing in the United States, emphasizing endurance, payload capacity, and a scalable drone ecosystem for field operations and services. Its goal is to scale U.S. manufacturing, fulfill customer backlog, and validate the DronePort field program to support persistent, multi-drone operations for critical missions.

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About SiFly

Simplify's Rating
Why SiFly is rated
C+
Rated C on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Robotics & AutomationIndustrial & ManufacturingGovernment & Public SectorAerospace

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$20M

Headquarters

Santa Clara, CA

Founded

2021

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What believers are saying

  • August 26, 2026 Series A raised $20 million from Shield Capital, Qudit, BBK Capital, and Alumni Ventures.
  • Versaterm partnered December 17, 2025, giving SiFly a public-safety distribution channel for DFR deployments.
  • Taranis validation and DronePort preorders signal demand across agriculture and infrastructure inspection.

What critics are saying

  • SiFly has not shipped production Q12s yet; Aviation Week said deliveries start Q1 2027.
  • Brian Hinman said August 2026 funding covers roughly 18 months, forcing another raise by 2028.
  • DJI still dominates U.S. drone purchases, and SiFly faces FAA, manufacturing, and scaling execution risk.

What makes SiFly unique

  • Q12 pairs 140-minute endurance with 80-mile range, beating enterprise drones on mission coverage.
  • SiFly and ADS-B Exchange integrated Q12 telemetry into live airspace displays on April 21, 2026.
  • DronePort bundles launch, recovery, charging, mission control, and maintenance into one regional system.

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Funding

Total Funding

$20M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

1 Rounds

Series A funding typically happens when a startup has a product and some customers, and now needs funding to scale. This money is usually used to grow the team, expand marketing, and improve the product. Venture capital firms are frequently the main investors here.
Series A Funding Comparison
Above Average

Industry standards

$15M
$8.2M
$15M
$20M
$30M

Company News

PR Newswire
Aug 26th, 2026
SiFly raises $20 million Series A to scale U.S. Production of long-endurance drones.

SiFly raises $20 million Series A to scale U.S. Production of long-endurance drones. Aug 26, 2026, 08:59 ET Funding will accelerate manufacturing, customer deliveries and deployment of SiFly's record-setting Q12 aircraft SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - SiFly Aviation today announced a $20 million Series A financing led by Shield Capital with participation from Qudit, BBK Capital, and Alumni Ventures, among others. The funding will accelerate production and customer deliveries of SiFly's Q12 long-endurance electric aircraft and advance development and field validation of its DronePort multi-drone infrastructure system. SiFly has validated the Q12's performance through thousands of flights and hundreds of hours of testing. The aircraft flies 4x longer and up to 10x farther than leading enterprise drones while carrying payloads of up to 10 pounds. This performance includes a flight of 3 hours, 11 minutes and 54 seconds, earning SiFly the Guinness World Record for the longest flight by an electric multirotor aircraft in its weight class. "Most multirotor drones were designed for short flights close to the operator. We built the Q12 to combine the agility, precision hover and vertical takeoff and landing of a multirotor drone with the efficiency, range and speed of a fixed wing aircraft," said Brian Hinman, Founder & CEO of SiFly. "This financing allows us to scale production, fulfill our growing backlog and support successful customer deployments." SiFly is targeting markets where greater endurance can directly improve operating performance and economics. For public safety agencies, the Q12 expands response coverage and time on station and, when paired with DronePort, supports more capable Drone-as-First-Responder operations. Utilities and infrastructure operators can inspect more miles per flight, while agricultural customers can map and analyze more acres with fewer aircraft, launches and operators. "For drone operators, greater endurance translates into faster response, broader coverage and lower cost per mission," said Ray Rothrock of Shield Capital. "SiFly is positioned to redefine how drones are used across mission-critical applications - including public safety, critical infrastructure and agriculture - where value is directly tied to the productive work each aircraft can deliver." The financing comes as geopolitical competition and supply-chain concerns are increasing demand for high-performance drones designed and manufactured in the United States. Commercial operators and public agencies are seeking trusted domestic alternatives that deliver greater capability at economics that support widespread deployment. SiFly is building that alternative by combining record-setting aircraft performance, scalable U.S. manufacturing and a price point designed for real-world operations. SiFly will use the funding to scale Q12 production, expand its manufacturing and supply-chain capabilities, and support initial customer deliveries and deployments. The investment will also advance DronePort development and field validation while expanding the go-to-market, customer-operations and regulatory capabilities required for broader adoption. About SiFly SiFly, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, delivers helicopter-like performance at drone economics through long-endurance autonomous aerial systems. Its cloud-connected, U.S.-made platforms enable persistent coverage for public safety, critical infrastructure inspection and enterprise operations - unlocking faster response, broader coverage and lower operating costs. Discover more and request a demonstration at www.sifly.co. Media Contact SOURCE SiFly

Associated Press
Aug 26th, 2026
SiFly raises $20M Series A to scale US production of long-endurance drones

SiFly Aviation has raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Shield Capital, with participation from Qudit, BBK Capital, and Alumni Ventures. The Santa Clara-based company will use the investment to scale production of its Q12 long-endurance electric aircraft and advance its DronePort multi-drone infrastructure system. The Q12 flies four times longer and up to 10 times farther than leading enterprise drones whilst carrying payloads of up to 10 pounds. SiFly holds the Guinness World Record for the longest electric multirotor aircraft flight in its weight class at 3 hours, 11 minutes and 54 seconds. The company is targeting public safety, utilities, infrastructure inspection and agriculture markets. SiFly will expand manufacturing capabilities, fulfil customer deliveries and support deployments with the new funding.

PR Newswire
May 12th, 2026
SiFly launches DronePort platform: 5x coverage at up to 10x lower cost than traditional dock-based systems

SiFly Aviation has launched DronePort, an infrastructure platform enabling multi-drone operations from a single system. The platform provides five times greater operational coverage per node at up to 10 times lower deployment cost compared to traditional dock-based systems. DronePort consolidates launch, recovery, charging, mission control and maintenance into one system, supporting multiple aircraft from a single site. Unlike fixed docks, it can be deployed where needed, making it suitable for disaster response and dynamic mission environments. The Santa Clara-based company is targeting Drone as First Responder programmes, utilities, pipelines, rail and agriculture sectors. Paired with SiFly's Q12 Long-Endurance Drone, the system enables continuous aerial coverage through multi-hour flight times. Preorders are open, with initial deployments expected later this year.

Probing Edge
Apr 22nd, 2026
SiFly brings drones into shared airspace with real-time view.

SiFly brings drones into shared airspace with real-time view. Preety Shaha April 22, 2026 The sky is getting busier every day, and the old ways of keeping track of what is flying above Probing Edge are changing fast. For a long time, traditional airplanes and new-age drones lived in two different worlds, rarely sharing the same data. However, a new era of shared airspace awareness is finally arriving, making its skies safer for everyone. By connecting these two worlds, Probing Edge is moving away from a blind flying system toward one where every pilot, whether they are sitting in a cockpit or holding a remote control, can see exactly where everyone else is. This is not just a cool tech update; it is a vital step in ensuring that as more robots take to the air, they do so without getting in the way of human-piloted aircraft. Shared airspace awareness enters a new phase. The Air Traffic Management adoption in the United States is currently moving toward a strategy of digital-first integration to handle the massive surge in diverse flying vehicles. This trend highlights a major expansion where U.S. market leaders are shifting away from manual monitoring toward automated drone traffic management systems that can process thousands of data points at once. This shift aligns with the FAA's transition toward digital airspace management, where automated data exchange and network-based coordination replace manual monitoring as the foundation for managing mixed traffic in low-altitude airspace. As a result of early regulatory progress and rapid technology adoption, the US accounts for the largest share of the global market in shared airspace awareness and digital air traffic management solutions. By creating an advanced digital skies infrastructure, domestic aviation agencies have ensured that crewed and unmanned aircraft flights can co-exist safely within the same airspace. Modernizing the process of aviation management in such a manner will play a critical role in maintaining safety as the skies become increasingly crowded. SiFly partners with ADS-B Exchange for real-time integration. A massive leap forward occurred recently with the partnership between SiFly and ADS-B Exchange drone enthusiasts. ADS-B Exchange is famous for having the world's largest co-op of unfiltered flight data, and by teaming up with SiFly, that data is now being combined with real-time drone telemetry. ADS-B already serves as the FAA's primary surveillance technology for crewed aviation, designed to give pilots and operators a real-time view of surrounding traffic. Extending visibility to include drones, without burdening air traffic controllers, directly supports the FAA's broader goal of enhanced situational awareness in shared airspace. This means that for the first time, drone positions are being shown right alongside traditional planes in a single, unified view. This kind of drone airspace integration is exactly what the industry has been waiting for. It takes the guesswork out of flying by providing a clear and honest picture of what is happening in the air at any given moment, allowing for much better coordination between different types of flyers. Q12 drones gain visibility in live airspace systems. The focus of this integration is the SiFly Q12, one of the most advanced unmanned aircraft systems available for commercial use. The FAA has documented rapid growth in Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone approvals in recent years, noting that longer-range and longer-duration missions require new approaches to airspace visibility beyond traditional see-and-avoid practices. With the ability to input the flight pattern of the Q12 in real-time in the system, the drone is not an unseen craft in the airspace anymore. The visibility solution offered by the technology will ensure that even the local aviation authorities, along with all other pilots, are aware of the presence of the drone in the air. It is a major win for transparency, as it proves that drones can be responsible neighbors in the sky. When a Q12 is in the air, its data is being shared openly, creating a layer of trust that is essential for the widespread use of cloud-connected drones in its communities. Bridging crewed and uncrewed aviation data. One of the biggest challenges in modern flight is getting different systems to talk to each other. Pilots of small planes often have no way of knowing if a drone is operating nearby, and drone pilots often lack a full view of traditional air traffic. By bridging crewed and uncrewed aviation data, SiFly is solving this communication gap. This integration creates a shared language for the sky, where aviation safety technology works for everyone equally. Whether it is a rescue helicopter or a delivery drone, having everyone on the same map reduces the risk of close calls and makes the entire system more resilient. It is a practical solution that puts safety at the heart of every flight. Cloud-Connected architecture enables scalable BVLOS operations. For drones to truly become useful for things like long-distance delivery or pipeline inspection, they need to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight, or BVLOS drone operations. To do this safely, a pilot needs to know what is happening miles away. SiFly's cloud-connected drones use a high-tech architecture to send data instantly across the internet, allowing for safe long-distance travel. This setup is the backbone of drone traffic management, as it allows multiple drones to be managed from a central location. It provides the scalability needed for businesses to grow their drone fleets while staying firmly within the safety guidelines required for complex operations in shared spaces. Real-Time telemetry powers unified airspace picture. The key ingredient behind this technology is drone telemetry. Simply put, telemetry refers to the flow of data from the drone regarding its altitude, velocity, and coordinates. The availability of consistent and instantaneous telemetry results in a synchronized picture of the airspace, down to the very minute. This is a key part of aviation safety technology, as it allows for instant alerts if two aircraft are getting too close. By making this data available to everyone through platforms like ADS-B Exchange, Probing Edge is creating a more transparent and safer sky where information is shared freely to prevent accidents before they happen. Advancing safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems. Probing Edge is currently seeing a massive push to follow new FAA Part 108 drone rules, which are being designed to make the integration of unmanned aircraft systems official and permanent. SiFly's efforts are a direct response to these evolving regulations, showing that the industry is ready to step up and meet high safety standards. By proving that drones can play nicely with others, they are paving the way for more advanced uses of the technology, such as urban air mobility and automated shipping. This work is about more than just one company; it is about advancing the entire field of aviation into the 21st century with a focus on harmony and safety. A step toward digital and transparent airspace management. Looking toward the future, the move to a digital airspace infrastructure is inevitable. With the FAA modernizing the National Airspace System through digital air traffic management, unmanned traffic management systems, and performance-based BVLOS regulations, real-time airspace integration represents a tangible step towards realizing the vision of a transparent airspace system. The partnership between SiFly and ADS-B Exchange is a perfect example of how this future will look: open, data-driven, and highly transparent. As Probing Edge move away from old-school radar and toward airspace visibility solutions that live in the cloud, the sky will become a more organized and predictable place. This transparency is the key to winning public trust and ensuring that drones can provide all their amazing benefits, like faster deliveries and better emergency responses, without compromising the safety of the traditional pilots who have owned the skies for over a century.

PR Newswire
Apr 21st, 2026
SiFly and ADS-B Exchange integrate cloud-connected Q12 drones into shared airspace awareness systems

SiFly Aviation and ADS-B Exchange have partnered to integrate uncrewed aircraft into live airspace displays alongside traditional crewed aircraft. Through the collaboration, SiFly's cloud-connected Q12 drones now appear on ADS-B Exchange's tracking platform, providing unified airspace visibility. The Q12 aircraft can fly for multiple hours covering tens of miles, requiring transparent operation in shared airspace. Unlike crewed aircraft broadcasting ADS-B signals directly, Q12 drones transmit real-time telemetry through secure cloud connections to appear in airspace views. The integration supports Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight operations and addresses growing needs for airspace awareness as unmanned systems expand into public safety, infrastructure inspection and environmental monitoring. SiFly and ADS-B Exchange have successfully demonstrated the capability in live operations.

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