WorldLink & Company

What WorldLink & Company does

WorldLink & Company is a Kyoto-headquartered drone and robotics technology firm founded in August 2014 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Exedy Group since October 2024. The company operates a vertically integrated drone solutions business spanning hardware distribution (via the SkyLink Japan brand and UAVOOM e-commerce platform), geospatial software (the 4DLink digital twin suite built on CesiumJS), and professional services including surveying, inspection, training, and insurance agency (Sompo Japan drone insurance). Its 45 employees serve enterprise customers across surveying/mapping, infrastructure inspection, agriculture, smart city/municipal, and disaster response verticals, with an explicit Japan-only geographic footprint anchored in the Kansai, Tohoku, Kanto, and Kyushu regions.

The technology stack combines proprietary assets (the AI-powered SeeCrack bridge inspection system co-developed with Kanazawa University, 4DLink geospatial platform, and UAV LiDAR capabilities via subsidiary Fuwa-Drone) with deep partnerships for cloud infrastructure (Microsoft Azure, NTT DOCOMO Open Innovation Cloud with MEC), drone hardware (DJI, Sony Airpeak, ACSL SOTEN, FLIR sensors), and academic research. The business monetizes through four streams: hardware sales (DJI, Sony, ACSL, FLIR products), SaaS subscriptions (4DLinkCloud tiers from ¥880/month to enterprise), professional services (consulting, training, surveying, pilot dispatch), and insurance agency commissions, supported by a joint venture with NTT East and Optima (NTT e-Drone Technology, ¥490M capital) and two recent acquisitions (Fuwa-Drone in April 2025 and JDRONE in May 2026) that add LiDAR surveying and disaster response operational capabilities respectively.

Name

WorldLink & Company

Legal name

株式会社WorldLink & Company

Website

https://worldlinkandcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WorldLink & Company is a Kyoto-based drone solutions provider and Exedy Group subsidiary operating the SkyLink Japan distribution brand, 4DLink geospatial digital twin software, and Fuwa-Drone/JDRONE surveying subsidiaries, serving Japanese enterprise, government, and municipal customers with integrated drone hardware, software, and field services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Drone Services and Solutions

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones (IMABAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drones & UAV Retail (Consumer & Prosumer) (CRACAHAC), Drone/UAS Application Services (Spraying, Spreading, Seeding) (AFACAIAB), UAS Ground Control Stations (GCS) & Remote Operations Infrastructure (IMABAIAL)

Keywords

• Commercial drone solutions
• UAV surveying services
• Geospatial digital twin
• Aerial infrastructure inspection
• Drone distribution Japan

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Drone Hardware Sales: Sales of drone aircraft, components, and peripherals through SkyLink Japan brand and UAVOOM e-commerce platform. Includes domestic and international drone manufacturers such as DJI, Sony Airpeak, ACSL SOTEN, and FLIR thermal sensors.
2. Software Subscriptions (4DLink): SaaS subscriptions for digital twin platform (4DLinkCloud, 4DLink.Biz) with tiered pricing from personal (¥880/month) to enterprise plans. Geographic information platform services for 2D/3D data processing.
3. Professional Services: Implementation consulting, training, pilot dispatch services, maintenance and repair, surveying, and inspection services. Includes drone operator certification training and custom solution development.
4. Drone Insurance (ドローンほけん): Agency sales of drone insurance products (movable property comprehensive insurance and facility owner liability insurance) underwritten by Sompo Japan, targeting drone operators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WorldLink & Company distributes commercial drones and provides integrated drone-based solutions for the Japanese market, including aircraft sales, implementation consulting, training, repair, surveying, and infrastructure inspection. It operates the 4DLink geospatial digital twin software platform (4DLink.Biz, 4DLinkCloud, GIS Processing Cloud, 4DLink Smart City Cloud) and the UAVOOM e-commerce/community platform, supported by subsidiaries Fuwa Drone (UAV LiDAR surveying) and JDRONE (volcanic observation, disaster response, flight operations). The company also acts as a Sompo Japan agent for drone comprehensive insurance.

Product overview

WorldLink & Company's product portfolio centers on the SkyLink Japan brand — a comprehensive drone distribution, integration, and services operation — augmented by three specialized subsidiaries: Fuwa-Drone (UAV LiDAR surveying, acquired 2025), JDRONE (professional drone operations and DaaS, acquired 2026), and a 4DLink digital twin software suite (4DLink.Biz, 4DLinkCloud, GIS Processing Cloud, 4DLink Smart City Cloud). The company also operates UAVOOM as an e-commerce platform, resells thermal imaging and sensor payloads, provides drone insurance (ドローンほけん) as a Sompo Japan agent, and participates in the NTT e-Drone Technology joint venture. The portfolio spans hardware sales, software-as-a-service geospatial platforms, operational services, insurance, and training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SkyLink Japan: ドローン事業ブランド。ドローン機体の販売、導入コンサルティング、修理・カスタマイズ、パイロット代行、三次元点群・オルソモザイク作成、セミナー・出張講習・技能認定を提供。
• UAVOOM（ユーエーブーム）
• 4DLink（フォーディリンク）

Products and services

• SkyLink Japan Primary brand for commercial drone sales, implementation consulting, repair/customization, pilot dispatch, 3D point cloud/orthomosaic generation, and certification seminars/training for enterprise and professional drone operators in Japan.
• UAVOOM (ユーエーブーム) Online e-commerce and community platform serving drone enthusiasts, content creators, and commercial drone operators with equipment procurement, operational guidance, and industry news.
• 4DLink.Biz Private cloud geospatial digital twin platform for geographic information providers and consumers; supports 2D/3D data upload, integrated viewing, annotation (points/distance/area/volume), and collaboration tools. Deployable on AWS or Microsoft Azure.
• 4DLinkCloud Subscription-based cloud service providing 4DLink platform functionality on a per-use basis with Personal (¥880/month), Business, Enterprise, and Customization plans for 2D/3D geospatial data viewing, annotation, and sharing.
• Fuwa Drone (扶和ドローン) Subsidiary service providing high-precision UAV LiDAR surveying and aerial measurement services across Japan, complementing SkyLink Japan's sales network.
• JDRONE

Quantifiable outcome

• Bridge inspection time and cost reduced compared to traditional methods
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Excedie Group (株式会社エクセディ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Parent company acquisition in October 2024. Excedie, a leading drive system components manufacturer with global presence in 25 countries, acquired WorldLink to expand drone business. WLC gains access to Excedie's national sales network and manufacturing capabilities. Excedie operates drone propulsion systems and collaborates with Eames Robotics and baibars.
• Denso (株式会社デンソー)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Acquired bridge inspection service business assets from Denso in May 2023. Denso UAV technology with variable pitch propellers provides superior wind resistance and stability for bridge inspection. WLC combines inherited technology with existing drone and sensor capabilities.
• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2022Cloud infrastructure provider for 4DLink platform services. Azure Virtual Desktop enables high-performance geographic information access. Endorsement provided by Microsoft Japan for digital twin solutions.
• Sony (ソニーマーケティング株式会社)secondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2022Authorized distributor for Sony Airpeak S1 professional drone. Regular handling dealer status for aerial photography drone products. Provides sales, training, and support for Airpeak ecosystem.
• NTT e-Drone Technology (株式会社NTT e-Drone Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2021Joint venture established February 2021 with capital of ¥490 million. Partners: NTT East, Optima, and WorldLink. Develops domestic drone services, implementation support, solution services, and data platform businesses. WLC provides drone sales and maintenance services. Focus on Japanese market with domestic drone products.
• NTT East (東日本電信電話株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2021Joint venture partner in NTT e-Drone Technology. Provides ICT technology capabilities including high-speed networks and local 5G. Collects regional market needs for drone solutions.
• Optima (株式会社オプティム)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2021Joint venture partner in NTT e-Drone Technology. Provides AI and software development capabilities for drone systems.
• FLIR Systems (フリアーシステムズ)secondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 August 2020Authorized distributor for FLIR thermal imaging products including Hadron dual sensor module, FLIR DUO PRO R, and FLIR VUE PRO R. Products for drone-mounted thermography in disaster rescue and infrastructure inspection.
• Kanazawa University (金沢大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2020Joint development of AI-powered bridge inspection system. Professor Fujiu's research group leads the technical development. System deployed on NTT DOCOMO 5G open innovation cloud for real-time inspection capabilities.
• NTT DOCOMOsecondaryTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2020Provided 5G network infrastructure for AI bridge inspection pilot. DOCOMO Open Innovation Cloud with MEC capabilities enables real-time image transmission and analysis.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• senseFly (Parrot): Fixed-wing and quadcopter mapping drone manufacturer focused on surveying and inspection markets. Closely comparable to WLC/Fuwa Drone's LiDAR surveying offering, and a relevant benchmark for end-to-end drone mapping workflow positioning.
• NTT e-Drone Technology: Joint venture between NTT East, Optima, and WLC focused on domestic drone services and operations. As a jointly controlled entity it is both partner and competitor in the same Japanese drone services market, with NTT's ICT backbone providing structural advantages.
• Terra Drone Corporation: Japanese drone services and solutions provider operating in surveying, inspection, and UTM (unmanned traffic management) — a directly comparable domestic peer competing with WLC/Fuwa Drone in UAV LiDAR surveying and with JDRONE in inspection and disaster response.
• ACSL Ltd. Japan's leading domestic industrial drone manufacturer (SOTEN series) and existing WLC investor via ACSL Fund No. 1. ACSL both supplies drones to WLC for distribution and competes in the same enterprise infrastructure-inspection and surveying markets with its own services business.

Broad incumbents

• DJI: Global consumer and enterprise drone market leader whose products WLC distributes in Japan. Not a direct competitor in services, but DJI's potential entry into Japanese enterprise drone services or restriction on government procurement would materially affect WLC's revenue model.
• Pasco Corporation: Major Japanese geospatial information and surveying services company that increasingly incorporates drone-based data capture. Competes with WLC/Fuwa Drone for large municipal and government surveying contracts and represents the legacy incumbent being disrupted by drone-based workflows.
• Skydio: U.S. autonomous drone manufacturer with strong enterprise inspection and public-safety positioning. Competes with WLC's enterprise drone distribution and inspection services business globally; relevant comparable for autonomous-flight capability and AI-driven inspection software.

Emerging players

• Wingtra AG: Swiss VTOL fixed-wing drone manufacturer for surveying and mapping; signed MOU with ANA Holdings for Japan distribution. Operates in WLC's surveying customer segment and represents an emerging technology alternative for large-area LiDAR/mapping projects.

Others

• Bentley Systems (iTwin Capture): Infrastructure engineering software provider with digital twin and reality modeling capabilities (iTwin Capture). Competes conceptually with WLC's 4DLink digital twin platform in the infrastructure sector, though serving engineering firms and asset owners rather than drone service operators directly.

Regional players

• ANA Holdings (Drone Services): Japanese aviation group expanding into drone logistics, surveying, and inspection services. Operates Wingtra distribution and other drone ventures in Japan, directly competing with WLC's enterprise and surveying customer base in the same domestic market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/skylinkjapan
• Facebookfacebook.com/SkyLinkJapan
• Instagraminstagram.com/skylinkjapan

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WorldLink & Company