Airware is a defunct drone software company that shut down in September 2018 after raising 118 million dollars. Here is its history, product, and collapse.
Airware was a commercial drone software and hardware company founded in 2011 in Newport Beach, California, by Jonathan Downey, and later relocated to San Francisco in January 2014. It built autopilot systems and an enterprise aerial data platform aimed at industries like construction, mining, and agriculture.
The company raised approximately 118 million dollars in venture funding from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, GV, Kleiner Perkins, and Intel Capital, and it was widely regarded as one of the best-capitalized companies in the early commercial drone industry.
Airware's business model shifted over time from selling proprietary autopilot hardware toward enterprise aerial-data software, but it struggled to compete as drone hardware makers, particularly China's DJI, drove down costs and improved bundled flight software to the point where third-party autopilot systems became less necessary for many customers.
After roughly two years of declining relevance and repeated layoffs, Airware ceased all operations on September 14, 2018, informing its remaining approximately 140 employees the business was shutting down immediately. Its assets were later acquired by Delair, a French drone and asset-management company.
Airware no longer exists as an operating company, and it has no current product, pricing, or support available. Anyone encountering the Airware name today, including on its former website, should treat it as a historical reference rather than an active software tool.
No, Airware ceased all operations on September 14, 2018.
It ran out of funding after struggling to compete against cheaper, vertically integrated drone hardware from companies like DJI, and was forced to shut down.
Jonathan Downey founded Airware in 2011 in Newport Beach, California.
Approximately 118 million dollars from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, GV, and Kleiner Perkins.
Delair, a French drone and asset-management company, acquired Airware's assets and some team members in 2018.
No, the product is no longer sold, supported, or maintained by any company.