What Birdstop does

Birdstop designs, manufactures, and operates an autonomous Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone platform for persistent 24/7 monitoring of critical infrastructure sites. The platform consists of three integrated components: the Fealty weatherproof autonomous quadcopter (45-minute flight endurance, 33 mph wind tolerance, operating range from -4°F to 113°F, with 4K optical zoom and radiometric thermal payload), the Perch self-charging docking station (launches the drone in under three seconds, houses a 360-degree camera, microphone array, and up to 3,352 TOPS of on-board AI compute), and the Mission Control software console that allows a single operator to manage multiple sites from one screen with real-time AI detection, classification, and alarm-triggered dispatch. Add-on payloads including methane/TDLAS gas sensing, aerial LiDAR, spotlight, and PA speaker extend the platform across inspection and deterrence use cases. Birdstop serves five verticals: public safety (drone-as-first-responder), utilities (transmission lines, substations, solar and wind), transportation (ports, rail, trucking), construction, and data centers.

Birdstop's go-to-market is direct enterprise and government sales via a consultative, quote-based process with multi-year contracts. Customers may lease or purchase hardware, with site-specific pricing dependent on location, installation requirements, and number of perches; revenue streams include hardware sales, a recurring Mission Control software subscription, and managed 24/7 monitoring services. The platform integrates with SCADA, CAD, VMS, CCTV, and access control systems via APIs, supporting deployment into existing security and operational stacks. Distribution is domestic-only US.

The company was founded in 2018 in Concord, California, and relocated its headquarters and manufacturing to Detroit, Michigan in November 2025 to leverage the state's manufacturing expertise and aviation talent. Birdstop has secured nine active FAA approvals, including BVLOS waivers for controlled airspace, night and civil twilight operations, multi-aircraft command, and ICAO interoperability certification. The platform meets SOC 2 Type II and NDAA Section 848 standards, qualifying it for federal procurement under tightening restrictions on foreign-made drones. Birdstop has disclosed approximately $6.9 million in funding across a $2.3 million seed round led by Lerer Hippeau in August 2023 and a $4.6 million round led by Alumni Ventures in August 2025, with participation from Alabama Power, Detroit Venture Partners, Techstars, DataTech Fund, Anorak Ventures, Correlation Ventures, Graph Ventures, Talon, and others.

Name

Birdstop

Legal name

Birdstop, Inc.

Website

https://birdstop.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Birdstop designs and operates the Fealty autonomous BVLOS drone platform—integrated drone, self-charging perch, and Mission Control AI software—for 24/7 aerial monitoring of critical infrastructure serving public safety, utilities, transportation, construction, and data center customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autonomous Drone Systems for Infrastructure Monitoring

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Aircraft (3721), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

UAS Launch/Recovery & Support Equipment (Catapults, Nets, Docking) (IMABAIAN)

Keywords

• Autonomous drone systems
• BVLOS infrastructure monitoring
• Aerial surveillance hardware
• AI-powered drone detection
• Perch-based drone platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Autonomous Drone System (Hardware + Software): Birdstop sells its Fealty drone system as an integrated hardware and software solution. Pricing is site-specific based on location, installation requirements, and whether customers lease or buy. The system includes the drone, perch, and Mission Control software subscription.
2. Hardware Sales: Customers can purchase the Fealty drone system outright. The system includes the drone aircraft, self-charging perch, and configurable payloads.
3. Monitoring Services: Continuous 24/7 autonomous monitoring services where Birdstop operates the drone infrastructure and provides live aerial intelligence to customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Birdstop sells an integrated autonomous drone monitoring platform — the Fealty weatherproof quadcopter drone, a self-charging Perch base station, and the Mission Control AI software console — deployed at customer sites for 24/7 aerial surveillance. The system is sold as a hardware-and-software bundle with site-specific custom pricing under either lease or purchase terms, and Birdstop also operates the system as a managed monitoring service for enterprise and government customers.

Product overview

Birdstop offers a unified autonomous drone monitoring platform consisting of three integrated components: the Fealty weatherproof autonomous quadcopter drone, the self-charging Perch base station, and the Mission Control AI software console. The system is sold as a hardware-and-software bundle with site-specific pricing. Industry-specific monitoring services (utilities, public safety, transportation, construction, data centers) are built on this core Fealty platform. Optional sensor payloads (thermal/radiometric gimbal, methane/gas sensing, LiDAR, spotlight, PA speaker) extend capabilities for specialized use cases. The platform is designed, manufactured, and assembled entirely in Detroit, Michigan, with NDAA §848 compliant components and SOC 2 Type II data governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fealty: A weatherproof, autonomous quadcopter drone and self-charging perch system designed for persistent 24/7 site coverage, featuring AI-powered detection, optical zoom and thermal cameras, and NDAA-compliant components. Made in Detroit.

Products and services

• Fealty Autonomous Drone System Weatherproof autonomous quadcopter drone with 4K optical zoom (20x) and 640x512 radiometric thermal payload, on-board AI for object and hotspot detection, obstacle avoidance, 45-minute flight endurance, 33 mph wind resistance, operating range from -4°F to 113°F, and NDAA Section 848-compliant components throughout.
• The Perch Weatherproof shelter, charging dock, and sensor mast in one. Houses the Fealty drone ready to launch, charges on contact, and launches on command in under 3 seconds. Equipped with a 360-degree camera, microphone array, and continuous acoustic and optical monitoring even when the drone is docked.
• Mission Control AI software platform that runs the fleet, handling real-time detection, classification, and dispatch. A single operator manages multiple perches from one console with live video, patrol scheduling, and immutable audit logging. SOC 2 Type II secured; integrates with SCADA, CAD, VMS, CCTV, and access control systems via API hooks.
• Public Safety / Drone-as-First-Responder Service Aerial first-responder service for law enforcement, fire, and EMS organizations. Drones launch on dispatch to reach scenes in under 60 seconds, with on-board AI calling out people, vehicles, weapons, and thermal hotspots. Supports crime-in-progress overwatch, search and rescue, fire and hazmat monitoring, and traffic incident documentation.
• Utilities Infrastructure Monitoring Service Radiometric aerial surveillance service for power grids, solar farms, wind turbines, transmission lines, and substations. Capabilities include transmission line corridor patrol, substation perimeter security, solar farm thermal hotspot detection (accurate to within 2°F), and wind turbine close-range inspection.
• Transportation Infrastructure Monitoring Service Mobile aerial surveillance service for rail yards, ports, terminals, and trucking facilities. Covers port and terminal security, rail yard thermal and visual inspection, trucking operations monitoring, incident documentation, and after-hours automated patrol with no on-site security presence.
• Construction Site Monitoring Service Persistent aerial coverage for construction sites securing perimeter, documenting progress, and responding to access events. Services include automated nighttime theft and vandalism deterrence, scheduled daily progress documentation, safety compliance aerial monitoring, access control documentation, and earthwork thermal verification.
• Data Center Security and Inspection Service Full-lifecycle aerial coverage for data center campuses from pre-construction surveys through live operations. Covers site selection aerial mapping, construction progress monitoring, commissioning thermal capture of switchgear and cooling infrastructure, perimeter intrusion response (sub-3-second dispatch), cooling system thermal scans, power infrastructure inspection, roof and rooftop equipment condition checks, and expansion phase oversight.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sub-3-second launch time from alarm to airborne
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• TSPS (Truck Specialized Parking Services)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Birdstop partnered with TSPS to deploy autonomous drone monitoring at two commercial trucking sites in Detroit. The drones use AI and computer vision to detect trucks and available parking spaces, with data integrated into TSPS's real-time parking platform. This represents Birdstop's first phase of validating drone-based infrastructure monitoring at scale for US freight networks.
• NextEnergysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerNextEnergy administers the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform which funds Birdstop's truck parking pilot program. NextEnergy is Michigan's smart energy and mobility accelerator organization.
• Michigan Office of Future Mobility and ElectrificationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichigan state agency that directed over $42 million in public and private investment toward AAM initiatives in 2025, including coordinated drone deployments across five state agencies and partnerships with companies like Birdstop.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Skydio: Skydio is the leading U.S.-based autonomous drone manufacturer with its own Skydio Dock for persistent BVLOS operations. It is the closest direct competitor to Birdstop in autonomous drone-in-a-box infrastructure for inspection, public safety, and defense, and similarly emphasizes NDAA compliance and American manufacturing.
• Percepto: Percepto (now part of DJI's industrial inspection business) provides autonomous drone-in-a-box solutions for industrial site monitoring, including power, oil and gas, and mining. It directly overlaps with Birdstop's utilities, transportation, and infrastructure-monitoring GTM.
• Easy Aerial: Easy Aerial builds autonomous drone-in-a-box systems for security, surveillance, and inspection of critical infrastructure, military, and government sites. Its Smart Airbase autonomous docking product competes directly with Birdstop's Perch system across the same buyer categories.
• Brinc Drones: Brinc builds autonomous drones and drone-in-a-box stations purpose-built for public safety, 911 response, and tactical operations — directly mirroring Birdstop's Drone-as-First-Responder product positioning and public-safety buyer base.
• Draganfly: Draganfly is a North American drone manufacturer focused on public safety, defense, and industrial inspection. Its drone systems and mission-control software compete with Birdstop's Fealty/Perch/Mission Control offering for similar buyers and use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Anduril Industries: Anduril is a large defense-technology prime that has expanded into autonomous air systems (Lattice, Ghost Helicopter, Roadrunner). While broader than Birdstop, it competes for the same NDAA-compliant, SOC 2-governed, government-and-critical-infrastructure autonomous-aircraft RFPs.
• DJI: DJI is the global dominant drone OEM with enterprise dock products and Matrice inspection platforms. It competes indirectly with Birdstop but is increasingly excluded from U.S. federal and critical-infrastructure procurement due to NDAA-related restrictions, which Birdstop explicitly benefits from.
• Shield AI: Shield AI develops autonomous aerial systems (V-BAT) and broader AI-pilot autonomy for defense. While primarily military, it overlaps with Birdstop's autonomous-agent, on-board AI, and NDAA-compliant positioning for government and defense customers.
• Parrot SA: Parrot is a European drone manufacturer with enterprise and defense lines (ANAFI USA) competing for the same NDAA-friendly government and inspection buyers as Birdstop, though without an autonomous docking product comparable to the Perch.

Emerging players

• Wingtra: Wingtra produces professional mapping and survey drones with vertical-takeoff fixed-wing platforms. It is a partial peer — overlapping in infrastructure inspection use cases and sensor payloads (LiDAR, photogrammetry) but not in autonomous docking or public-safety response.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birdstop

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Birdstop