SkySpecs proves value of automated drone inspections with at-scale operations lands $8M investment to accelerate global growth and bring actionable insights to renewable energy industry
Ann Arbor, MI – January 9, 2018: SkySpecs, the leading automated infrastructure inspection company, announces an $8 million Series B financing led by Statkraft Ventures together with UL Ventures and Capital Midwest with follow-on investments from Venture Investors, Huron River Ventures and additional existing investors. Founders and Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees Danny Ellis and Tom Brady along with the SkySpecs team will use the investment to scale the company’s international operations and develop world-class inspection software to enable customers to make more information-rich decisions about the condition of their energy assets and infrastructure. “Last year we proved that SkySpecs is the best-in-class at collecting data that can be used to assess the health of energy infrastructure. This year we will enable owners to harness the power of the data collected by our automated drones in a platform that they can use to decide what to repair and when to repair it,” said CEO Ellis.
Fifteen-minute inspections that require only the push of a button – and no additional human oversight – make a previously laborious and time-consuming task simple, and keeps active maintenance and waiting time to a minimum. “We consider automation and standardization of O&M-related tasks the next big challenge in cost competition after hardware costs for renewable energy assets have dropped significantly over the last years. SkySpecs is the fastest growing inspection company in the wind sector, making rotor blade inspections more precise and safe while keeping operations at a lower cost compared to traditional methods. Their technological expertise combined with scalable operations is the key to grow the business worldwide” says Alexander Kueppers, Investment Manager at Statkraft Ventures.
