3D Robotics – a Berkeley, Calif.-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology provider – has hired new executives and expanded to Austin, Texas.
The company says it is getting ready to launch multiple new products and upgrade software platforms. It explains that it wants to pivot from the business-to-business and hobbyist sectors to more “out-of-the-box ready” products for the everyday consumer. The new offices and hires coincide in time for the September launch of the company’s new consumer drone, the IRIS+.
John Rex has been appointed chief financial officer. He is a senior finance and operations executive with global experience in major corporations, such as Microsoft.
The new Austin office’s media and marketing team comprises 12 people and is headed by Colin Guinn, the new senior vice president of sales and marketing. Guinn is the former North American president of DJI. His first key hire was Oren Schauble, who came from TrackingPoint.
The Austin office makes the fourth addition to the company’s main operations. It also has an engineering center in San Diego and a manufacturing plant in Tijuana, Mexico. The company recently acquired Sifteo, a consumer electronics company.