What Drone Pilot Agency does

Drone Pilot Agency (DRONE PILOT AGENCY株式会社), founded in November 2017 in Tokyo, provides drone-based solutions for infrastructure inspection, surveying, and AI-driven deterioration diagnosis across Japan. The company combines an asset-light nationwide drone pilot network — sourced through a partnership with Electronic Park Group's Japan Drone Academy — with proprietary AI image analysis software designed to automatically detect cracks and other defects on building exteriors and infrastructure, as well as infrared-based anomaly detection for solar panels, wind turbines, and similar assets. Its product portfolio spans surveying and 3D model creation (with ±10cm accuracy), AI building deterioration diagnosis (beta), inspection of bridges, walls, roofs, utility poles and towers, solar panel inspection, wildlife damage countermeasures, disaster response, and aerial photography/videography for promotional content.

The company operates a sales-led, project-based services model with pricing quoted per engagement rather than via published tiers. Revenue is generated through professional services delivery to enterprise clients — including TEPCO group entities, SoftBank, Tokyu Livable, Toshiba Lighting, and Tsuboi Industries — as well as municipal governments such as Imabari City. A capital and business alliance with Kashiwabara Corporation anchors joint development of the AI building deterioration product and supports the training-data pipeline, while partnerships with LIFULL Marketing Partners and Apollo Sales extend distribution into real estate and wildlife-management use cases.

Drone Pilot Agency has raised approximately 155 million yen (~$1M USD) across a 2019 seed round (55M JPY, B Dash Ventures and Kashiwabara) and a 2020 pre-Series A round (100M JPY, CyberAgent Capital and Kakuichi). Headcount remains at 1-10 employees, no revenue is publicly disclosed, and the AI deterioration diagnosis product launched in July 2020 remains in beta. The company relocated its headquarters to Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower in May 2024 and maintains membership in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's i-Construction Promotion Consortium.

Name

Drone Pilot Agency

Legal name

DRONE PILOT AGENCY株式会社

Website

https://dronepilot.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Drone Pilot Agency is a Tokyo-based drone services company founded in 2017 that combines a nationwide drone pilot network with proprietary AI image analysis to deliver infrastructure inspection, surveying, building deterioration diagnosis, and aerial videography to enterprise, government, and real estate clients across Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drone-based Infrastructure Inspection Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerial Surveying & Crop Scouting (Imaging, Mapping, Stand Counts) (AFACAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Drone/UAS Application Services (Spraying, Spreading, Seeding) (AFACAIAB)

Keywords

• Drone inspection services
• Aerial surveying
• Infrastructure inspection
• AI image analysis
• Drone pilot dispatch

Headquarters

HQ city

Muromachi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Drone Pilot Dispatch and Matching: The company dispatches or matches JUIDA-licensed drone pilots to clients seeking to utilize drones for various business purposes. Provides nationwide drone pilot coverage.
2. Infrastructure Inspection Services: Drone-based inspection services for bridges, buildings, rooftops, power poles, towers, solar panels, wind turbines, tanks, and other infrastructure. Includes AI image analysis for deterioration diagnosis.
3. Surveying and 3D Mapping: Drone aerial photography combined with proprietary image processing software to create ortho images, 3D models, and calculate distance, area, and volume. Services include full drone capture or image-processing-only options.
4. AI Building Deterioration Diagnosis: Drone-based building exterior inspection with AI-powered automatic crack and defect detection. Beta version released in 2020, targeting building maintenance and construction companies.
5. Filming and Promotional Video Production: Drone aerial filming services for promotional videos, real estate, hotels, golf courses, and other commercial applications.
6. Agricultural and Marine Data Services: Drone-based data collection for agricultural and marine applications, including wildlife damage prevention and oyster farming support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Drone Pilot Agency provides nationwide drone-based solutions in Japan, combining drone operations with proprietary AI-powered image analysis. The company dispatches JUIDA-licensed pilots and delivers infrastructure inspection (bridges, buildings, solar panels, towers, roofs, wind turbines), surveying and 3D modeling, AI building deterioration diagnosis, aerial photography/videography, wildlife countermeasures, and disaster response services to enterprise, government, and municipal clients.

Product overview

DRONE PILOT AGENCY provides a comprehensive suite of drone-based inspection and surveying services. The core offering combines drone operations with AI-powered image analysis technology for infrastructure inspection, surveying, and promotional videography. Main services include: (1) 測量/３Ｄモデル作成 - surveying and 3D model creation using proprietary image processing software; (2) AI建物劣化診断サービス - AI-powered building deterioration diagnosis for automatic crack detection; (3) 点検・保守 - infrastructure inspection services covering bridges, utility towers, solar panels, roofs, and building exteriors; (4) 撮影 - aerial photography and videography for promotional and marketing purposes; (5) 鳥獣対策 - wildlife monitoring and control using infrared drone technology; and (6) 災害調査・対応 - emergency disaster response services. The company operates nationwide with a network of drone pilots.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drone Pilot Dispatch and Matching Service Dispatches and matches JUIDA-licensed drone pilots to companies needing drone services nationwide across Japan, through a partnership with Electronic Park Group (Japan Drone Academy).
• Infrastructure Inspection and Maintenance Drone-based inspection of bridges, utility poles/towers, building exteriors, roofs, cable systems, and wind turbines, combining high-resolution optical and infrared cameras with AI image analysis for automated defect detection.
• Surveying and 3D Model Creation Creates orthomosaic aerial photos, topographic maps, and 3D models from drone imagery, with measurement of distance, area, and volume (accuracy ±10cm) using proprietary image-processing software requiring no system registration from clients.
• AI Building Deterioration Diagnosis Service AI service that automatically detects wall cracks and defects from drone-captured building exterior imagery, developed in partnership with Kashiwabara Corporation; planned expansion to crack width/length measurement and exterior tile bulging detection.
• Solar Panel Inspection Drone-based solar panel inspection using infrared thermal cameras to identify defective cells, hot spots, and performance anomalies across large-scale solar farms.
• Bridge Inspection Drone-based bridge inspection using high-resolution and infrared cameras with AI image analysis for automated crack and bulge detection, addressing Japan's aging bridge infrastructure.
• Exterior Wall Inspection Drone-based building exterior inspection using optical and infrared cameras with AI analysis for automated crack and bulge detection, reducing costs relative to traditional scaffolding methods.
• Roof Inspection Drone-based roof inspection enabling rapid condition assessment without scaffolding, using high-resolution cameras and infrared thermal imaging.
• Disaster Investigation and Response Emergency drone deployment for disaster assessment including infrastructure damage verification, victim detection, information gathering, and delivery support during natural disasters.
• Wildlife and Pest Countermeasure Service Wild boar and wildlife monitoring and deterrence using drone surveillance with optical and infrared cameras, combined with hunting trap expertise and veterinary science for agricultural damage prevention.
• Aerial Photography and Filming Drone aerial photography and videography for promotional videos, real estate marketing, hotels, golf courses, and commercial film productions, providing dynamic aerial perspectives.
• Marine and Agricultural Data Collection Drone-based data collection for marine and agricultural applications, including underwater temperature, tidal current, and shell-forming data for oyster farming support, in partnership with Hokkaido Suttu Town.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces inspection costs significantly by eliminating scaffolding and reducing personnel requirements to a single drone pilot
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 寿都町 (Suttu Town, Hokkaido)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2020Partnership with Hokkaido Suttu Town to use drones for collecting ocean data to support the town's oyster farming industry. DPA collects underwater temperature, tidal current, and shell-forming data using drones. Data is combined with expertise from oyster farming professional Umezu (Umi-Otoko) and oyster consultant Tsuboi for quality improvement.
• 株式会社海男 (Umi-Otoko)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2020Oyster farming professional company partnered to provide expert knowledge for combining drone-collected ocean data with aquaculture expertise for Suttu oyster quality improvement.
• 株式会社アポロ販売 (Apollo Sales)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2020Business partnership combining DPA's drone and image analysis technology with Apollo's hunting trap development and sales expertise. Partnership aims to innovate wildlife damage prevention using drones, targeting wild boar and other crop-damaging animals. Academic partners include Dr. Yoshikawa (veterinarian) and Associate Professor Koibuchi (University of Tokyo) for biodiversity monitoring and wildlife management.
• 株式会社カシワバラ・コーポレーション (Kashiwabara Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2019Capital and business alliance for joint development of AI image analysis technology for building deterioration diagnosis. Kashiwabara, a leading painting and building maintenance company with 70 years of history, provides field verification, data, and support for DPA's technology development. The partnership aims to jointly acquire multiple related patents. Kashiwabara also participated as an investor in DPA's 55 million yen funding round.
• LIFULL Marketing PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 June 2019Business partnership for nationwide real estate and housing drone aerial photography promotion services. LIFULL provides internet advertising platform and sales support while DPA provides drone filming and direction services. Enables nationwide real estate drone content across Japan's properties.
• i-Construction Promotion Consortium (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2018Joined the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's i-Construction Promotion Consortium, which promotes ICT-based productivity improvements in construction. Consortium membership facilitates exchange with industry and academic partners and supports integration of AI and VR technologies into drone-based construction solutions.
• 海老根智仁 (Tomohito Ebine)minorOthers · 15 January 2018Business advisor appointed to strengthen management foundation. Ebine is former CEO of Opt, founder of Legend Partners, and board member of Mobcast. Brings expertise in internet business development and venture growth.
• 株式会社電子公園グループ (Electronic Park Group / Japan Drone Academy)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 December 2017Capital and business partnership with Japan's largest drone pilot school operator. Provides DPA with access to a nationwide network of JUIDA-licensed drone pilots for pilot dispatch and matching services. Enables DPA to match diverse drone pilots with companies needing drone services across Japan.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Terra Drone: Japanese-headquartered global drone services company offering aerial surveying, inspection, and surveying solutions across infrastructure, mining, and utilities. Direct competitor with overlapping inspection services, 3D modeling, and Japan/APAC coverage similar to DPA.
• Aerodyne Group: Malaysia-based global drone inspection services firm with deep infrastructure inspection presence across Asia Pacific. Closely comparable on drone-based industrial inspection delivery model, asset-management analytics, and enterprise client base in utilities and oil & gas.
• Cyberhawk: UK-based drone aerial inspection and surveying company focused on oil & gas, power, utilities, and construction. Comparable on visual-and-thermal aerial inspection, defect reporting, and asset-management deliverables for industrial clients.
• Sky-Futures: UK-headquartered drone-based inspection services firm specializing in industrial asset inspection (energy and infrastructure). Comparable on inspection-as-a-service delivery model with data capture plus defect-reporting workflows similar to DPA.
• OPTiM: Japanese platform company with a drone/IoT solution business targeting agriculture, construction, and infrastructure. Competes with DPA in Japan on drone-based inspection and management platforms for industrial and government clients.

Emerging players

• ACSL (Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory): Japanese drone manufacturer and service provider with focus on infrastructure inspection, security, and logistics. Comparable through its Japan-based drone inspection applications overlap, though business model is more weighted to hardware sales.
• PrecisionHawk: US-based drone data and analytics platform offering aerial inspection and surveying services across infrastructure and agriculture. Comparable through data-driven drone inspection delivery and analytics software stack analogous to DPA's workflow.

Broad incumbents

• Skydio: US drone manufacturer and autonomy-software platform with strong position in inspection and public safety. Comparable to DPA's inspection use cases at a broader scale through its hardware-plus-software stack adopted by inspectors and utilities.
• DJI: World's largest drone manufacturer with commercial inspection and surveying product lines. Indirectly comparable: while DPA uses third-party platforms, DJI's enterprise products and partner ecosystem define the competitive context for inspection workflow economics.

Regional players

• Rakuten Drone: Japanese drone delivery and inspection service subsidiary of Rakuten, active in Japan logistics and infrastructure-adjacent operations. Comparable as a Japan-domestic drone services player operating in regulation-driven commercial applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors5 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 Drone Pilot Agency