Firefly Drone Shows
Firefly Drone Shows is a Detroit-based company that designs, manufactures, and operates custom drone light shows using its proprietary Gen2 drone hardware and in-house animation software, serving corporate, municipal, theme park, and event clients across the U.S. and internationally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersDetroit, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Firefly Drone Shows does
Firefly Drone Shows, LLC is a Detroit, Michigan-based drone light show company founded in 2017 by Kyle Dorosz that designs, manufactures, and operates custom aerial drone performances end-to-end. It became the second company ever licensed by the FAA to operate drone shows and holds a Certificate of Waiver authorizing a single operator to fly up to 2,500 drones at night, alongside Exemption No. 22830 for pyrotechnic operations. The company owns the entire technology stack in-house: the Gen2 drone airframe (purpose-built with RTK GPS, triple-redundant IMUs, 360-degree LED lighting), Firefly Studio animation software, the Firefly Command System for real-time fleet synchronization, the Pilot App for show operations, and a 3D Viewer for pre-flight visualization.
Firefly generates revenue primarily through custom drone light show services sold on a quote basis across tiered drone-count packages (300, 500, 700, and 1000+ drones), with multi-year contract cadences and optional add-ons including pyrotechnic integration, aerial and ground content capture, and custom music synchronization. In 2024 the company extended its model by launching Firefly Drone Systems, a separate business line that sells and leases complete drone show systems to third-party operators. Customers span 10 named segments including corporate, municipal, theme parks, casinos, universities, athletics, holidays, education, event technology, and the traditional fireworks industry, with named enterprise clients such as Ford, General Motors, Pyrotecnico, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, Pompano Beach, and Exploration Place. The company grew from 25 drones in a basement to over 60 full-time employees and 300+ shows per year by 2025, with operations spanning the U.S. and several international markets.
Firefly Drone Shows firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Firefly Drone Shows
- Legal name
- Firefly Drone Shows, LLC
- Website
- https://fireflydroneshows.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Firefly Drone Shows is a Detroit-based company that designs, manufactures, and operates custom drone light shows using its proprietary Gen2 drone hardware and in-house animation software, serving corporate, municipal, theme park, and event clients across the U.S. and internationally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Firefly Drone Shows industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aerial Entertainment Services
- NAICS
- Aircraft Manufacturing (336411)
- SIC
- Aircraft (3721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Drone/UAS Application Services (Spraying, Spreading, Seeding) (AFACAIAB)
Keywords
Where Firefly Drone Shows is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Detroit
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Firefly Drone Shows business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Drone Light Show Services: Firefly produces custom drone light shows for events. Revenue generated through show fees based on drone quantity (300, 500, 700, 1000+ packages), runtime, and optional add-ons like pyrotechnic integration and custom music design. Each show includes planning, animation, FAA compliance, and on-site flight operations.
- Drone Show System Sales and Leasing: Firefly Drone Systems (sister company) sells and leases complete drone show systems to partners and operators looking to start their own drone show companies. Launched in 2024 as a separate business line.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Starter package with 300 drones |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Signature package with 500 drones |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Spectacular package with 700 drones |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Infinity package with 1000+ drones |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Firefly Drone Shows product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Firefly Drone Shows designs, produces, and operates custom drone light shows for live events ranging from intimate brand moments to large-scale public spectacles, delivering everything from creative brief and animation through FAA permitting, on-site flight operations, and teardown. The company owns the entire technology stack, manufacturing its own Gen2 drones and operating proprietary software (Firefly Studio, Command System, Pilot App, 3D Viewer) to execute shows of 300 to 1,000+ drones.
Product overview
Firefly Drone Shows operates as a fully integrated drone light show company offering both services and technology products. The core service is custom drone light show production, while the product portfolio includes the Gen2 Drone (purpose-built hardware), Firefly Studio (custom animation software), Firefly Pilot App (operational management), Firefly Command System (real-time synchronization), and Firefly 3D Viewer Model (pre-flight visualization). Firefly Drone Systems extends the portfolio to offer leasing and sales of complete drone show systems to partners and operators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Drone Light Show Services
- Firefly Drone Systems (Systems Sales and Leasing)
Quantifiable outcome
- 300+ shows completed in 2025
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Firefly Drone Shows
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Firefly Drone Shows technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature8 records
Firefly Drone Shows partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- PyrotecnicominorPyrotecnico used Firefly Drone Systems technology for their world record Largest Daytime Fireworks Display at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Firefly provided the drone platform technology for 1,020 pyrotechnic drones with 2,024 integrated smoke effects. Pyrotecnico executed the show entirely in-house using Firefly's technology.
- RicasaminorPartnered with Pyrotecnico to set the world record for Largest Daytime Fireworks Display. The event featured 1,020 pyrotechnic drones and 2,024 integrated smoke effects at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Firefly Drone Shows competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nova Sky Stories: Nova Sky Stories is a US-based drone light show company founded by former Intel Shooting Star team members. They compete directly with Firefly in custom drone show services, leveraging Intel's drone show technology heritage and serving similar enterprise customer profiles.
- Verge Aero: Verge Aero is a US-based drone light show company providing custom aerial displays for events. They compete directly with Firefly in the same drone show services market with proprietary technology stacks, similar customer profiles (corporate, municipal, theme parks), and comparable show scales.
- Sky Elements: Sky Elements is a US-based drone light show company operating in the same services market as Firefly. They offer shows ranging from small to large-scale productions for corporate, municipal, and entertainment clients with directly comparable offerings.
- Celestial: Celestial (formerly Dronisos) is a France-based international drone show company with significant global presence. They compete directly with Firefly in providing large-scale drone light shows for enterprise clients across multiple geographies and have similar customer and technology positioning.
Others
- SPH Engineering: SPH Engineering develops the Drone Show Software platform widely used by drone show operators worldwide. They are an enabling technology provider to the drone show industry rather than a direct competitor to Firefly's vertically integrated services business.
- Pyrotecnico: Pyrotecnico is a US-based fireworks and pyrotechnic entertainment company. They are a Firefly partner (used Firefly Drone Systems technology for the world record Largest Daytime Fireworks Display) and represent the fireworks industry Firefly is helping to evolve toward drone-based alternatives.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Firefly Drone Shows social profiles
Digital presenceFirefly Drone Shows financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Firefly Drone Shows leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Firefly Drone Shows funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Firefly Drone Shows 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 Firefly Drone Shows
What does Firefly Drone Shows do?
Firefly Drone Shows designs, produces, and operates custom drone light shows for live events ranging from intimate brand moments to large-scale public spectacles, delivering everything from creative brief and animation through FAA permitting, on-site flight operations, and teardown. The company owns the entire technology stack, manufacturing its own Gen2 drones and operating proprietary software (Firefly Studio, Command System, Pilot App, 3D Viewer) to execute shows of 300 to 1,000+ drones.
Is Firefly Drone Shows a public or private company?
Firefly Drone Shows is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Firefly Drone Shows founded?
Firefly Drone Shows was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Firefly Drone Shows based?
Firefly Drone Shows is headquartered in Detroit, United States, in the North America region.
How does Firefly Drone Shows make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Drone Light Show Services are the primary driver. The others are drone Show System Sales and Leasing.
Who are Firefly Drone Shows's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nova Sky Stories, Verge Aero, Sky Elements and Celestial. Others are SPH Engineering and Pyrotecnico.
Does Firefly Drone Shows have an API?
No public API is recorded for Firefly Drone Shows.
What industry is Firefly Drone Shows in?
Firefly Drone Shows's product category is Aerial Entertainment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFACAIAB, Drone/UAS Application Services (Spraying, Spreading, Seeding). Its NAICS code is 336411 and its SIC code is 3721.