What Iris Automation does

Iris Automation is a Reno, Nevada-based safety avionics technology company founded in 2015 that builds on- and off-board perception systems for crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Its flagship product, the Casia detect-and-avoid (DAA) system, uses computer vision and machine learning to give autonomous or remotely piloted aircraft the ability to sense, classify, and maneuver around other air traffic — a capability critical to enabling Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations and the emerging Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market. The company was among the first to receive FAA authorization for BVLOS drone operations using its technology, and it has positioned itself as a core perception-layer supplier for autonomous aviation stacks.

Iris Automation's go-to-market centers on integrating Casia into commercial drone platforms, defense UAS programs, and emerging eVTOL aircraft, with public partnerships spanning Embraer, Eve UAM, Daedalean, Near Earth Autonomy, and TruWeather Solutions. Its most high-profile engagement is participation in Embraer's Project EASy, a series of seven-day real-flight autonomous system evaluations conducted in Rio de Janeiro with Helisul Aviação helicopters across take-off, climb, cruise, approach, and landing phases — directly supporting Eve UAM's path to certified autonomous eVTOL operations. The company is venture-backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Bee Partners, GGV Capital, Social Capital, Sony Innovation Fund, Verizon Ventures, and Ericsson Ventures, having raised approximately $28M cumulatively, and operates with a small (11–50 employee) team led by co-founder/CTO James Howard, co-founder/Chairman Alexander Harmsen, and CEO Jon Damush.

Name

Iris Automation

Website

https://irisonboard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Iris Automation is a Reno-based safety avionics company (founded 2015) that builds AI-powered detect-and-avoid perception systems enabling BVLOS and autonomous flight for commercial drones, defense UAS, and emerging eVTOL/UAM platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Unmanned Aircraft Safety Systems

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

UAS Integration, Certification & Compliance Systems (Remote ID, Detect-and-Avoid) (IMABAIAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH), Autonomous Flight Control & Guidance Systems (UAS/Urban Air Mobility) (IMABAFAO), Aerial Robotics (Drones & UAV Autonomy) (HDAAAIAG)

Keywords

• Detect and avoid systems
• UAS safety avionics
• Uncrewed aircraft perception
• Autonomous flight safety
• Airborne situational awareness

Headquarters

HQ city

Reno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Core offering

Iris Automation is a safety avionics technology company that develops on-board and off-board perception systems for crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Its core products provide detect-and-avoid (DAA) capability using computer vision and AI-based perception to enable safe autonomous flight, BVLOS operations, and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) deployments. The technology is integrated by aerospace OEMs and UAM developers, and has been validated in real-flight experimental programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• On-board perception system Aircraft-mounted detect-and-avoid (DAA) perception system for crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Provides real-time on-board situational awareness and aircraft detection/tracking to support safe autonomous flight and BVLOS operations. Validated in real-flight experimental programs including Embraer Project EASy across take-off, climb, cruise, approach, and landing.
• Off-board perception system Off-board / network-based aircraft perception and airspace surveillance system providing situational awareness data to support detect-and-avoid and safe UAS operations alongside on-board perception.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EmbraercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIris Automation participated as a technology partner in Embraer's Project EASy (Embraer Autonomous Systems), a series of seven-day experimental flights conducted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The collaboration evaluated new autonomous system technologies in real flight conditions using Helisul Aviação helicopters, exploring nominal and edge-case scenarios across take-off, climb, cruise, approach, and landing flight phases. Data collected supports the development of fully autonomous eVTOL operations for Urban Air Mobility.
• Eve UAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIris Automation collaborated with Eve UAM as part of Project EASy (Embraer Autonomous Systems), contributing to real-flight evaluation of autonomous technologies over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The work supports Eve UAM's development of fully autonomous eVTOL operations for Urban Air Mobility, with pilots expected to remain on board during initial phases before reaching certified autonomous flight capability.
• DaedaleanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaedalean partnered with Iris Automation and other companies (Near Earth Autonomy) as part of Project EASy led by Embraer, contributing to the evaluation of autonomous flight technologies in real flight conditions over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• Near Earth AutonomyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNear Earth Autonomy partnered with Iris Automation and other companies as part of Project EASy led by Embraer, contributing to the evaluation of autonomous flight technologies in real flight conditions over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil using Helisul Aviação helicopters.
• TruWeather SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationIris Automation partnered with TruWeather Solutions for uncrewed aircraft weather surveillance. This partnership is cited as an example of active industry collaboration in the aerospace AI sector, illustrating Iris Automation's role in the autonomous systems and weather surveillance ecosystem for uncrewed aircraft operations.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Daedalean: AI-based autonomous flight software for crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Direct competitor in the same Project EASy program with Embraer and pursuing parallel FAA/EASA certification of machine-learning-based flight autonomy.
• Near Earth Autonomy: Develops autonomous flight and perception technology for UAS, including obstacle avoidance and landing-zone sensing. Co-participant with Iris in Project EASy and competing for the same autonomy perception slot on next-generation aircraft.
• uAvionix: Provides UAS surveillance, aviation situational awareness, ADS-B, and detect-and-avoid sensors for crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Competes directly with Iris Automation's perception stack in the low-altitude airspace awareness category.
• Sagetech Avionics: Manufactures certified avionics and situational awareness transponders for UAS, including ADS-B and DAA-related sensors. Comparable in selling safety-critical avionics into the same UAS/eVTOL customer base.
• Fortem Technologies: Provides airspace awareness, drone detection, and counter-UAS solutions using radar and AI sensing. Overlaps with Iris on the detect-and-avoid / airspace perception layer, particularly for BVLOS operations.

Emerging players

• Reliable Robotics: Developing autonomous flight systems for crewed fixed-wing aircraft with FAA certification as a goal. Addresses the same autonomy-for-crewed-aviation opportunity but with a vertically integrated flight-stack approach.
• Xwing: Working on autonomous flight technology for cargo and passenger aircraft. Competes in the autonomy-for-crewed-aircraft space, providing an alternative perception/autonomy approach for regional aviation.
• Merlin Labs: Developing autonomous flight technology for fixed-wing aircraft with a focus on FAA certification. Targets similar dual-use crewed/uncrewed autonomy use cases and shares the long regulatory timeline as a key strategic factor.

Broad incumbents

• Honeywell Aerospace: Major avionics incumbent developing its own DAA and urban air mobility avionics portfolio. Broad incumbent that can vertically integrate perception, potentially competing on integrated flight decks rather than standalone perception modules.
• Collins Aerospace: Large avionics and flight systems supplier with UAS and UAM avionics initiatives. Broad incumbent that competes across the same perception/autonomy layer but as part of a much wider product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iris_automation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors14 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 Iris Automation