DroneSense
DroneSense is an Austin-based SaaS platform that enables U.S. public safety agencies — law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency management — to plan, manage, and remotely operate drone programs as a system of record. Acquired by Versaterm in July 2025, with BVLOS capability via MatrixSpace Radar integration.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What DroneSense does
DroneSense, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, builds a drone management and collaboration platform purpose-built for U.S. public safety agencies. The platform is structured around three pillars: Tactical Operations (comprising the For Pilots interface, the OpsHub operations management hub, and the AirBase fleet management module), Drone as First Responder (DFR) delivered through the DroneSense Remote product, and a Response Team coordination module. The software enables pilots and operations staff to plan flights, manage fleets, coordinate multi-drone missions, and stream live video from remotely operated drones to command centers, with integration support for Blue UAS / NDAA-compliant hardware such as the Parrot ANAFI UKR.
The company's commercial model is enterprise SaaS sold directly to local, state, and federal law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency management agencies, using a quote-based pricing motion with demo and scheduling CTAs. It generates revenue through recurring subscriptions across multiple product tiers, supplemented by training (Instructor Courses, Fly Days events) and partner-led enablement. In July 2025, DroneSense was acquired by Versaterm, a public safety software provider, and now operates as a flagship drone product within the Versaterm platform while retaining its own brand, website, and go-to-market motion. The strategic focus has shifted toward remote and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, enabled by a 2025 partnership with MatrixSpace to integrate AI-powered radar-based airspace detection into the DroneSense Remote software, with Palm Springs PD and Campbell PD cited as flagship deployments.
DroneSense firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DroneSense
- Legal name
- DroneSense
- Website
- https://DroneSense.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- DroneSense is an Austin-based SaaS platform that enables U.S. public safety agencies — law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency management — to plan, manage, and remotely operate drone programs as a system of record. Acquired by Versaterm in July 2025, with BVLOS capability via MatrixSpace Radar integration.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DroneSense industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Safety Drone Management Software
- NAICS
- Other Support Activities for Air Transportation (488190)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aerial Robotics (Drones & UAV Autonomy) (HDAAAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- UAS Ground Control Stations (GCS) & Remote Operations Infrastructure (IMABAIAL), UAS Integration, Certification & Compliance Systems (Remote ID, Detect-and-Avoid) (IMABAIAO)
Keywords
Where DroneSense is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
DroneSense business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Platform Subscription: DroneSense operates as a SaaS platform providing drone management software for public safety agencies. The platform is sold to government organizations on a subscription basis, with multiple product tiers including Tactical Operations, Drone as First Responder, and Fleet Management modules.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
DroneSense product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DroneSense provides a comprehensive drone management and collaboration SaaS platform for public safety agencies, enabling pilots to plan and execute drone missions, manage fleets, coordinate response teams, and stream real-time video to command centers. The platform supports remote drone piloting and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations through integrations such as AI-powered radar detection, and is purpose-built for law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency management workflows.
Product overview
DroneSense is a comprehensive drone management and collaboration platform serving public safety, government, and critical infrastructure organizations. The platform operates as a unified system with three core modules: Tactical Operations (for pilots, operations coordination via OpsHub, and fleet management via AirBase), Drone as First Responder (enabling remote drone operations via DroneSense Remote with real-time video), and Response Team (coordinating drone teams during emergency scenarios). The platform is designed for law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency management agencies, with integrated support for NDAA-compliant and Blue UAS cleared drone hardware.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DroneSense Remote: Software platform enabling first responders to fly drones remotely and send real-time video footage to command centers, supporting Drone as First Responder (DFR) operations.
- DroneSense Response Team
Products and services
- Tactical Operations Platform Core drone management and collaboration platform providing situational awareness for public safety agencies, with tools for pilots, operations management, fleet administration, mission planning, and live operations across law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency management use cases.
- Drone as First Responder (DFR) Drone-as-First-Responder program that enables agencies to establish drone coverage areas and conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, allowing first responders to fly drones remotely and send real-time video footage to command centers for rapid situational awareness.
- Response Team Coordination module for managing drone response teams during emergency scenarios, enabling agencies to coordinate pilots and drone teams to effectively respond to a variety of emergency situations across law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency management operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Enables agencies to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations at scale
Companies that use DroneSense
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DroneSense technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability2 records
Feature6 records
DroneSense partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- NASAcoreDroneSense participated as an industry partner in a NASA research flight exercise at Ames Research Center in North Texas, testing airspace prioritization tools that allow first responder drones to move safely through crowded skies alongside commercial drones. The exercise involved NASA, the FAA, and Texas public safety agencies to develop traffic management frameworks for increased commercial drone operations.
- VersatermflagshipVersaterm acquired DroneSense in July 2025 to set the standard for drone operations as part of the incident response workflow. The acquisition integrates DroneSense's drone management capabilities into Versaterm's public safety platform, enhancing drone response capabilities and situational awareness for public safety agencies by enabling seamless drone deployment within existing emergency systems.
- MatrixSpacecoreDroneSense partnered with MatrixSpace to integrate MatrixSpace Radar's AI-powered real-time detection and airspace awareness capabilities into the DroneSense Remote software platform. This integration enables public safety agencies to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations, supporting agencies like Palm Springs Police Department in establishing radar-monitored first responder coverage areas.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DroneSense competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Skydio: US-based drone manufacturer with a public safety and enterprise software layer (Skydio Cloud/Autonomy) for fleet management and remote operations. Directly comparable to DroneSense as both sell integrated drone hardware plus software to law enforcement and emergency response agencies.
- Auterion: Open-source-based drone operating system and fleet management platform serving enterprise and public safety drone programs. Directly comparable to DroneSense's Tactical Operations and OpsHub capabilities for coordinating multi-pilot, multi-mission drone operations.
- Aloft (formerly Kittyhawk): Drone airspace management and LAANC authorization platform used by enterprise and public safety operators. Comparable to DroneSense for airspace awareness, FAA compliance workflows, and fleet oversight.
- AirData UAV: Drone fleet management, flight logging, and data analytics platform widely used by commercial and public safety drone programs. Directly comparable to DroneSense's AirBase fleet management and pilot operations modules.
- FlytBase: Drone fleet management and dock-automation software platform for enterprise and public safety deployments. Comparable to DroneSense in orchestrating multi-drone, multi-site remote operations and BVLOS workflows.
- DroneDeploy: Drone data capture, mapping, and operations platform used across construction, energy, and public safety. Comparable to DroneSense as a drone operations and analytics platform, though more focused on data capture than incident-response workflows.
Broad incumbents
- DJI: World's largest commercial drone manufacturer with DJI FlightHub for fleet management. A broad incumbent whose enterprise software overlaps with DroneSense's platform, though it lacks DroneSense's public safety workflow specialization and is restricted from many federal buyers due to NDAA concerns.
- Parrot SA: European drone manufacturer with public safety and defense offerings, including the NDAA-compliant ANAFI UKR integrated with DroneSense. A broad incumbent whose public safety hardware is paired with DroneSense software, making it a complementary rather than directly competing peer.
Emerging players
- BRINC Drones: Drone manufacturer purpose-built for public safety and tactical response, with an integrated software platform for live streaming and incident management. A direct adjacent peer combining public safety drones with software comparable to DroneSense Remote.
- Dedrone: Drone detection and airspace security provider for defense, public safety, and critical infrastructure. An adjacent peer operating in the same airspace awareness domain that DroneSense accesses via its MatrixSpace Radar integration.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DroneSense social profiles
Digital presenceDroneSense compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
DroneSense financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DroneSense leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
DroneSense funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DroneSense 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 DroneSense
What does DroneSense do?
DroneSense provides a comprehensive drone management and collaboration SaaS platform for public safety agencies, enabling pilots to plan and execute drone missions, manage fleets, coordinate response teams, and stream real-time video to command centers. The platform supports remote drone piloting and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations through integrations such as AI-powered radar detection, and is purpose-built for law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency management workflows.
Is DroneSense a public or private company?
DroneSense is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was DroneSense founded?
DroneSense was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is DroneSense based?
DroneSense is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does DroneSense make money?
One revenue line is on record: software Platform Subscription.
Who are DroneSense's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Skydio, Auterion, Aloft (formerly Kittyhawk), AirData UAV, FlytBase and DroneDeploy. Broad incumbents are DJI and Parrot SA. Emerging players are BRINC Drones and Dedrone.
Does DroneSense have an API?
No public API is recorded for DroneSense.
What industry is DroneSense in?
DroneSense's product category is Public Safety Drone Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAG, Aerial Robotics (Drones & UAV Autonomy), with a secondary code of IMABAIAL, UAS Ground Control Stations (GCS) & Remote Operations Infrastructure. Its NAICS code is 488190 and its SIC code is 3812.