Hangar, a new Austin, Texas-based software company specializing in autonomous data capture using drone technology, has announced a $6.5 million seed financing led by Lux Capital.
Hangar was founded by Colin Guinn, former chief revenue officer of 3D Robotics and CEO of DJI North America, and Jeffrey DeCoux, founder and CEO of eCustomers and SMART technologies.
“We’ve spent the last six years deeply involved in the major transformative hardware innovations of the consumer and professional drone industry, and it’s exciting to take the opportunities we’ve seen for the future and form a company with an entirely new vision for the industry,” says Colin Guinn, president of Hangar. “I’ve watched drone technology advance at a breakneck pace like no other product before it. These consumer-friendly products now have multiple computers, an autopilot, 4k cameras, long-range video links, sensors and more – and only cost $500-$999.
“Harnessing that technology is an unparalleled opportunity across industry,” he continues. ‘Consumer’ drones have become so advanced that no human can fully maximize and capitalize on their capabilities. It’s time for software to automate and optimize data capture from these devices.”
As part of the new financing, Bilal Zuberi, partner at Lux Capital, will join Hangar’s board of directors.
“This team successfully brought the consumer drone revolution upon us and are now doing the same for the commercial drone space,” Zuberi says.
Fontinalis Partners also participated in the round, along with Haystack Partners and several angel investors.
“Hangar will build upon the consumer drone revolution that Colin helped to create – forging a new path by integrating contemporary technologies such as machine learning and computer vision,” says Jeff DeCoux, CEO of the new company. “Our vision is to make drones into invaluable business tools by leveraging large and unique data sets.”
Not yet officially launched, Hangar says it is inviting DJI, 3DR and Yuneec drone owners to sign up for Hangar’s private beta here. The company expects to open it up to the broader community later this year.
