Flyability
Flyability is a Swiss company that designs collision-tolerant indoor inspection drones (Elios platform) for enterprise industrial customers in oil and gas, power, mining, maritime, and nuclear sectors. Approximately 1,000 customers across 68 countries use its caged drones, modular payloads, and software to inspect confined and hazardous spaces.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Flyability does
Flyability SA is a Swiss drone technology company founded in 2014 that designs and manufactures collision-tolerant indoor inspection drones for confined and hazardous spaces where conventional sense-and-avoid drones cannot safely operate. The company's proprietary architecture centers on a patented spherical protective cage combined with collision-tolerant flight control algorithms, enabling the drone to maintain stability after physical contact with obstacles. Its flagship product, the Elios 3 launched in September 2022, is an indoor LiDAR drone with a modular payload system supporting ultrasonic thickness measurement (UT), radiation detection (RAD), LiDAR-based surveying, and flammable gas sensing, complemented by an integrated software ecosystem including Inspector 5, Inspector Online, Flyability Cloud, and an Asset Management digital twin platform.
Flyability sells to enterprise industrial customers across oil and gas, power generation, maritime, mining, nuclear, cement, sewer/water, and manufacturing verticals, with a customer base of approximately 1,000 across 68 countries. The company operates a hybrid go-to-market combining a direct enterprise sales team with a global network of 50+ trained resellers in 27 countries and an e-commerce storefront for accessories. Revenue is generated through hardware sales (drones, payloads, accessories), software subscriptions (Inspector, Cloud, Asset Management), and professional services including training, proof-of-concept trials, and support. The company is headquartered in Paudex, Switzerland with offices in Westminster, Colorado; Shanghai, China; and Singapore.
The company has raised approximately $42M+ USD across multiple funding rounds from 2014 to 2023, with investors including SBI Investment, Cargill, Verve Ventures, Future Industry Ventures, ETF Partners, Swisscom Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Dow. Recent strategic priorities have included expanding maritime classification certifications (ClassNK, ABS, RINA, Bureau Veritas), obtaining SOC 2 Type II compliance for cloud services, and broadening the software and payload ecosystem around the Elios 3 platform to deepen customer lock-in across inspection workflows.
Flyability firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Flyability
- Legal name
- Flyability SA
- Website
- https://flyability.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Flyability is a Swiss company that designs collision-tolerant indoor inspection drones (Elios platform) for enterprise industrial customers in oil and gas, power, mining, maritime, and nuclear sectors. Approximately 1,000 customers across 68 countries use its caged drones, modular payloads, and software to inspect confined and hazardous spaces.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Flyability industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Inspection Drones
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Aircraft (3721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aerial Robotics (Drones & UAV Autonomy) (HDAAAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Inspection Services (Ground, Aerial/Drone, Helicopter, Climbing) (EUADAJAC), UAS Integration, Certification & Compliance Systems (Remote ID, Detect-and-Avoid) (IMABAIAO)
Keywords
Where Flyability is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lausanne
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Flyability business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Drone Hardware Sales: Sale of Elios drone systems including Elios 1, Elios 2, and Elios 3 platforms along with accessories including batteries, range extenders, and tether power units.
- Payload Modules: Sale of specialized payloads including UT (ultrasonic thickness), RAD (radiation detection), Surveying, and Gas Sensor modules for the Elios 3 platform.
- Software Subscriptions: Inspector software and Asset Management cloud-based solutions with subscription licensing for ongoing access and updates.
- Training Services: Product training, certification programs, and demonstration services for customers and resellers.
- Support Services: Technical support, maintenance, and repair services through internal team and certified resellers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Enterprise drone systems with modular payload options |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Flyability product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Flyability designs, manufactures, and sells collision-tolerant indoor inspection drones (Elios 1, Elios 2, Elios 3) for confined space and hazardous environment inspections across oil & gas, power generation, mining, maritime, nuclear, cement, chemicals, sewer, and infrastructure industries. The offering is delivered as an integrated ecosystem comprising the drone platform, modular payloads (UT, RAD, Surveying, Gas Sensor), companion software (Inspector, Flyability Cloud, Asset Management), training, and support services targeting enterprise industrial clients.
Product overview
Flyability offers a comprehensive indoor inspection drone ecosystem centered on the Elios 3 platform with modular payload system. The core product line includes the Elios 3 drone with specialized payloads (UT for ultrasonic testing, RAD for radiation detection, Surveying for LiDAR mapping, and Gas Sensor for flammable gas detection) plus accessories (Tether Power Unit, High-Capacity Battery, Range Extender). The software portfolio includes Inspector 5 and Inspector Online for data processing, Flyability Cloud for collaboration, and Asset Management for multi-flight Digital Twin consolidation. Integration ecosystem includes WinCan (sewer inspection), FARO Connect, GeoSLAM, and Leica Cyclone 3DR (3D processing), plus Pix4D (photogrammetry). Supporting services include Training, Proof of Concept trials, and Care Package support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- JLR reduced factory inspection time by 95% from 4 hours to 10 minutes using Elios 3
- +10 more outcomes
Companies that use Flyability
Customer profileNamed customers24 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Flyability technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability7 records
Feature12 records
Flyability partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and strategic.
- GeoSLAMsupportingIntegration partnership for LiDAR scanning technology enabling survey-grade 3D model creation with Elios 3.
- FARO TechnologiescoreStrategic partnership for Elios 3 Surveying Payload integration. FARO provides 3D measurement and imaging technology integrated with Flyability's indoor drone platform for enhanced scanning capabilities.
- Pix4DsupportingPartnership to accelerate indoor 3D modeling capabilities. Pix4D provides photogrammetry software for processing drone-captured imagery into 3D models.
- ClassNKcoreJapanese classification society certification for Elios 3 UT payload enabling maritime NDT drone inspections. Innovation Endorsement Certification granted for the product.
- RINAcorePartnership to design certification standards for maritime drone inspections. RINA is a classification society for maritime and energy industries.
- Mirion TechnologiescorePartnership to develop radiation survey meter payload (RAD) for Elios 3. Mirion provides radiation detection technology for nuclear facility inspections.
- ABS (American Bureau of Shipping)coreClass certification partnership for Elios 3 UT drone for maritime inspections. Enables certified NDT inspections for offshore and maritime assets.
- Bureau VeritascoreCollaboration on UT drone inspections bringing safer inspection solutions to maritime and industrial sectors. Bureau Veritas is a leading classification society.
- WinCancoreCustom integration partnership for Elios 3 with WinCan sewer inspection software. Provides end-to-end workflow solution for wastewater infrastructure inspection data management.
- Samsung ElectronicsstrategicSamsung Electronics and Flyability SA signed MOU for collaboration on drone inspection technology development and deployment.
- Moonrock InsurancesupportingPartnership to offer insurance products for Elios drone pilots and operators.
- Sigma EnterprisessupportingRegional distributor partnership for indoor inspection drone solutions.
- MFE EnterprisescoreMajor US territory distributor partner with expanded territory agreement. MFE provides sales, training, and support for Flyability products in North America.
- Exelon AeroLabssupportingAuthorized reseller of Flyability Elios products for power generation and energy sector inspections.
- ROBINS ProjectsupportingEuropean research project partnership to help fill gaps in drone inspection standards and capabilities.
- LafargeHolcimcoreSelected as key technology provider for Plants of Tomorrow initiative. Holcim collaborates with Flyability on drone-based inspection technology for cement plants.
- DJIsupportingPartnership to integrate Lightbridge 2 ultra-reliable image transmission system with Elios aircraft for reliable navigation in complex structures and metallic environments.
- Team CERBERUS (DARPA)supportingFlyability participated in DARPA Subterranean Challenge with Team CERBERUS, winning the competition. The challenge focused on exploring underground environments using autonomous robots.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Flyability competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Azur Drones: French indoor drone maker focused on autonomous security, surveillance, and industrial inspection. Direct comparable to Flyability's Elios platform in confined-space operations.
- Skydio: US autonomous drone maker expanding from public-safety into commercial and industrial inspection. Competes with Flyability in autonomous indoor and confined-space inspection with obstacle-avoidance flight autonomy and a growing enterprise channel.
- Emesent: Australia-based autonomous drone company specializing in GPS-denied LiDAR mapping for mining and infrastructure. Closely comparable to Flyability's Surveying Payload and asset-management use cases in mining and underground inspection.
- Percepto: Industrial inspection and monitoring drone maker (now part of DJI) serving power plants, mining, and oil & gas. Competes with Flyability on autonomous indoor/asset inspections and on AI-driven visual analysis.
Broad incumbents
- DJI: Global commercial drone incumbent whose Matrice and Mavic lines serve industrial inspection broadly. Already an integration partner to Flyability (Lightbridge 2) but a potential direct competitor if it launches a caged/indoor platform at scale.
- Parrot SA: European drone manufacturer with ANAFI commercial inspection and defense offerings. Competes in adjacent commercial drone segments and could move into Flyability's indoor inspection niche.
Emerging players
- Cyberhawk: Drone-based inspection services provider for oil & gas, utilities, and renewables — both a customer/partner and a partial competitor as inspection-as-a-service models proliferate in Flyability's verticals.
- Wingtra: Swiss VTOL drone maker focused on mapping and surveying. Adjacent in LiDAR-based inspection workflows and shares Flyability's Swiss base and enterprise mapping customer overlap.
- senseFly (AgEagle): Fixed-wing mapping drone subsidiary of AgEagle serving surveying, mining, and agriculture. Adjacent to Flyability in LiDAR/photogrammetry-based inspection and asset mapping.
- Microdrones: Commercial drone systems integrator specializing in surveying, mapping, and inspection payloads. Overlaps with Flyability's surveying and inspection verticals, particularly in mining and infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Flyability social profiles
Digital presenceFlyability compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Flyability financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Flyability leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Flyability funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds13 records
Investors17 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Flyability M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Flyability
What does Flyability do?
Flyability designs, manufactures, and sells collision-tolerant indoor inspection drones (Elios 1, Elios 2, Elios 3) for confined space and hazardous environment inspections across oil & gas, power generation, mining, maritime, nuclear, cement, chemicals, sewer, and infrastructure industries. The offering is delivered as an integrated ecosystem comprising the drone platform, modular payloads (UT, RAD, Surveying, Gas Sensor), companion software (Inspector, Flyability Cloud, Asset Management), training, and support services targeting enterprise industrial clients.
Is Flyability a public or private company?
Flyability is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Flyability founded?
Flyability was founded in 2014. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Flyability based?
Flyability is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Flyability make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Drone Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are payload Modules, software Subscriptions, training Services and support Services.
Who are Flyability's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Azur Drones, Skydio, Emesent and Percepto. Broad incumbents are DJI and Parrot SA. Emerging players are Cyberhawk, Wingtra, senseFly (AgEagle) and Microdrones.
Does Flyability have an API?
No public API is recorded for Flyability.
What industry is Flyability in?
Flyability's product category is Industrial Inspection Drones. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAG, Aerial Robotics (Drones & UAV Autonomy), with a secondary code of EUADAJAC, Inspection Services (Ground, Aerial/Drone, Helicopter, Climbing). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3721.