Re:Airware is shutting down after raising $118M
by anonairwavedev on Friday September 14, 2018 @06:49PM
(#17991720)
None of those customers ever got an SDK (because there wasn't one) or any software. They only provided vehicles.
Re:Airware is shutting down after raising $118M
by roymurdock on Friday September 14, 2018 @07:11PM
(#17991829)
sounds like a really frustrating experience. sorry to hear about all the pivots, lack of strategy and vision. a good/interesting idea killed by overengineering and tough competition. sounds like you learned a lot of valuable lessons on someone else's dime while the ride lasted
Re:Airware is shutting down after raising $118M
by anonairwavedev on Friday September 14, 2018 @08:11PM
(#17992114)
Thank you —- this makes me feel much better about the time I spent there :)
Re:Airware is shutting down after raising $118M
by ianiridium on Saturday September 15, 2018 @07:18AM
(#17993850)
anon: would be interested to chat if you can reach out: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iridium-dynamics/
A few customers listed here: Delta Drone, Drone America.
Sounds like the market didn't want or need a $2500/yr/drone software package for automating flights/data retrieval/storage. And there's simply no competing at the hardware level with DJI, even with $118M in funding.
"Across all prices in North America, DJI represented 50 percent of the market, Snow says. The price range where DJI is not dominant is drones under $500, which are mostly toys, and where there are hundreds of companies competing." [1]
There's money to be made in industrial (non-warfare) drones - but not as much as everyone thinks, and competition is really tough.
[1] https://www.recode.net/2017/4/14/14690576/drone-market-share...