What Drone Industry Insights does

Drone Industry Insights (legal entity: Drone Industry Insights UG) is a Hamburg, Germany-based independent market research consultancy founded in 2015 by Kay Wackwitz that specializes exclusively in the commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry. The company maintains proprietary bottom-up market models and a portfolio of databases and reports covering 1,413 drone companies across 70 countries, 1,657 drone investments from 2015-2025 with 3,507 corresponding investors, 349 electric aircraft companies, and country-level regulation profiles for the top 42 global drone markets via its proprietary Drone Readiness Index. Its flagship research outputs include the 244-page Global Drone Market Report 2026-2035, the Drone Market Map Database, the Global Drone Industry Review 2025 (drawing on direct insights from 768+ drone companies), the Drone Investment Database, the Drone Application Report, the Electric Aircraft Companies Database, and the Commercial Drone Regulation Report.

The company monetizes through three primary streams: (1) one-time license sales of reports and databases, with unit pricing on the Drone Market Map Database at €1 per company; (2) tiered annual research subscription licenses (advanced, premium, enterprise) that provide ongoing access to the proprietary intelligence stack with internal-use rights; and (3) professional consulting engagements including custom market studies, financial due diligence, and expert interviews. Its customers span drone manufacturers and service providers (the primary segment), aerospace and defense contractors (Honeywell, Thales, Lufthansa Technik, Telespazio VEGA), enterprise end-users in energy, construction, and agriculture (Shell, Liebherr, Leica Geosystems), investors and financial institutions (ThinkEquity), and government and aviation authorities. A new intelligence platform called ASTRA is scheduled for public launch in Q3 2026 alongside the 9th edition of the Global Drone Survey, signaling a strategic shift toward recurring platform revenue. Distribution is hybrid: self-serve digital purchasing through droneii.com combined with a consultative enterprise sales motion via discovery calls, conference presence, and thought-leadership content (newsletter, blog, whitepapers, YouTube, LinkedIn).

Name

Drone Industry Insights

Legal name

Drone Industry Insights UG

Website

https://droneii.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Drone Industry Insights is a Hamburg-based independent market research consultancy founded in 2015 that produces proprietary reports, databases, and consulting services exclusively for the global commercial drone industry, serving enterprise customers across aerospace, defense, energy, construction, and investment banking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industry Reports Sales: Sale of comprehensive drone market reports and databases (e.g., Global Drone Market Report 2026-2035, Drone Application Report, Drone Regulation Report, Electric Aircraft Companies Database). Reports are sold at varying price points including €1 per company for database entries.
2. Research Subscription License: Annual subscription license providing ongoing access to Products and Authorized Users. The subscription includes internal use rights for reports and presentations created from Product data.
3. Consulting Services: Custom consulting engagements including market studies, financial services & due diligence, and expert interviews. Clients include enterprises seeking tailored market intelligence.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Drone Industry Insights is an independent market research firm that sells drone industry reports, proprietary databases (company, investment, regulation, electric aircraft), annual subscription research licenses, and custom consulting services to enterprise buyers worldwide. Its core deliverables include the Global Drone Market Report, Drone Market Map Database, Drone Investment Database, and the annual Global Drone Survey (State of Drones white paper).

Product overview

Drone Industry Insights (DII) offers a comprehensive portfolio of market research products and services for the unmanned aerial systems industry. The core offering consists of multiple flagship research reports and databases including the Global Drone Market Report, Drone Market Map Database, Global Drone Industry Review, Drone Investment Database, Drone Application Report, Electric Aircraft Companies Database, and Commercial Drone Regulation Report. These are complemented by consulting services (market studies, financial due diligence) and expert interview access. The company also conducts the annual Global Drone Survey with results published in the State of Drones white paper. The newly launching ASTRA platform will provide enhanced drone industry intelligence access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Drone Market Report 2026-2035 Extensive 244-page commercial drone market report providing market size breakdowns by recreational/commercial, industry segment, application method, unit sales, and region/country, plus a 10-year forecast, market developments, drone regulation, investments, and company market shares. Sold as a one-time license to enterprise buyers for strategic planning.
• Drone Market Map 2026 Database Comprehensive database of 1,413 commercial drone companies from 70 countries across hardware, software, and services, with focus areas, location, and web/LinkedIn profile links, priced at €1 per company.
• Global Drone Industry Review 2025 Annual review synthesizing direct insights from 768+ drone companies on industry business trends, average revenues, top international markets, export rates, and commercial drone operations including flights, flight hours, brands used, and payloads.
• Drone Investment Database 2015-2025 Database providing high-detail insights on drone company funding, covering 1,657 investments from 2015-2025 across all sectors, 3,507 corresponding investors, 82 counter-drone deals, and separation by deal type (angel, seed, early/later stage, IPO, PIPE, etc.).
• Drone Application Report 2024 229-page report covering drone applications across all industry verticals with 264 application examples, 101 real-life case studies including methods, typical results, and technology stacks, plus market size and growth analysis.
• Electric Aircraft Companies Database 2024 Exclusive database of 349 global electric aircraft companies working on sustainable aviation, with data on company segment, sub-segment, and category (eVTOL, CTOL).
• Commercial Drone Regulation Report 2024 90-page commercial drone regulation report featuring country profiles for 23 of the largest global drone markets, the proprietary Drone Readiness Index for top 42 markets, and coverage of international drone certifications, UTM regulation, and regulatory outlook.
• Consulting Services Expert consulting engagements providing drone market analysis and strategic decision-making support for enterprise clients.
• Drone Market Studies Customized market studies providing in-depth analysis of specific drone market segments, applications, or regions for enterprise buyers.
• Financial Services & Due Diligence Financial analysis and due diligence services supporting drone industry investments and acquisitions.
• Global Drone Survey (State of Drones) Annual industry survey capturing market data including business sentiment, revenue trends, technology adoption, regulatory challenges, and investment outlook directly from industry participants. Results are published in the free State of Drones white paper.
• ASTRA Drone Industry Intelligence Platform New drone industry intelligence platform from Drone Industry Insights launching publicly in June 2026 to provide enhanced market intelligence capabilities, paired with the Global Drone Survey results.

Quantifiable outcome

• Commercial drone market projected to reach USD 83 billion by 2035 (nearly double current size)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DroneAnalyst: DroneAnalyst is a US-based research firm focused exclusively on commercial drone market intelligence, publishing annual reports and quarterly insights. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor to DII in pure-play drone market research.
• Teal Group: Teal Group is an aerospace and defense market research firm that covers unmanned aerial systems, eVTOL, and counter-drone markets. It is a direct peer in the niche of aerospace intelligence with comparable depth and a similar target buyer profile.
• P3 Tech Consulting: P3 Tech Consulting provides drone and advanced air mobility market intelligence and advisory to investors, operators, and policymakers. It is a direct peer in drone-focused consulting and research, with overlap in client base (investors, governments).

Broad incumbents

• Frost & Sullivan: Frost & Sullivan is a global growth consulting and market research firm with a dedicated aerospace and drone practice that publishes competitive intelligence, market forecasts, and bespoke advisory. It competes with DII on enterprise drone research engagements but is a broad incumbent, not a drone specialist.
• MarketsandMarkets: MarketsandMarkets publishes a global commercial drone market report alongside thousands of other technology reports. It competes primarily on lower-priced, off-the-shelf drone reports rather than the deep, custom work that differentiates DII.
• Verified Market Research: Verified Market Research publishes syndicated drone market reports and is one of several low-cost research publishers that buyers compare against DII's premium, depth-focused reports.
• Grand View Research: Grand View Research publishes a global commercial drone market report covering market size, segmentation, and forecasts. It is a broad syndicated-research incumbent that competes for the same RFPs as DII at the lower end of the price spectrum.
• Mordor Intelligence: Mordor Intelligence is a global market research firm that publishes a commercial drone market report. It competes for similar mid-market buyers looking for off-the-shelf drone market sizing and segmentation.

Emerging players

• Skyward (a Verizon company): Skyward, acquired by Verizon, provides drone operations management software as well as market and regulatory insights. It overlaps with DII in regulatory intelligence and enterprise drone market analysis, but its core product is operational software rather than market research.
• SkyLogic Insights / Drone Industry Group: Drone Industry Group is a smaller consulting and advisory practice covering the commercial drone and UAM sectors. It is a partial peer in advisory-style drone intelligence, particularly for investors and policymakers evaluating market entry.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/companies/droneindustryinsights
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@droneindustryinsights
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drone-industry-insights

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Industry Insights