What Drotek does

Drotek SAS is a French private manufacturer founded in 2012, headquartered in Avignonet-Lauragais near Toulouse, that designs and builds an integrated ecosystem for drone light shows. The company's core product is the IO STAR 3 illuminated drone, a 320g platform with a 40-minute flight time, RTK GNSS positioning, an independent Geoguard safety module meeting SORA standards, RGBW LEDs, and remote arming. This is complemented by a Ground Control Station Pack for fleet management of dozens to thousands of drones, an All-in-one Case for transport and deployment, a Drone Charging Station, and the LightShow Creator Blender plugin that converts 3D scenes into ready-to-fly drone shows using AI-assisted choreography.

The company sells its ecosystem to event and creative agencies, pyrotechnics and SFX companies, marketing and brand activation teams, and freelance drone show operators, with secondary demand from municipalities and theme parks. The revenue model combines hardware sales (average approximately €870 per drone, degressive for larger fleets), drone rentals with 24-hour worldwide delivery, a mandatory training program (3 days on-site plus 2 days at the customer), and recurring services including show creation, technical support, and regulatory assistance with DGAC, EASA, and FAA authorizations. The minimum complete professional solution starts at €80,000, and the business is sold direct through the Drotek website and field sales team, supported by trade show presence at ISE and LDI. Products are CE and FCC certified; the company operates a regional office in Windermere, Florida, and serves customers in roughly 15 countries across Europe, North America, and Africa.

Name

Drotek

Legal name

DROTEK SAS

Website

https://drotek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Drotek SAS is a French manufacturer founded in 2012 that builds an integrated drone light show ecosystem — IO STAR 3 illuminated drones, Ground Control Station, charging and transport hardware, and the LightShow Creator Blender plugin — selling direct to event agencies, pyrotechnics firms, marketers, and freelance drone show operators across about 15 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Drone Light Show Systems

NAICS

Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (33431)

SIC

Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)

akta.pro primary industry

Drones & UAV Retail (Consumer & Prosumer) (CRACAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Consumer Non-Imaging Drones (Toy/FPV, Racing, Delivery/Utility) (CRACARAH), Consumer Robotics Accessories & Consumables (Docking Stations, Filters, Brushes, Batteries) (CRACARAI)

Keywords

• Drone light shows
• Illuminated drones
• Drone show software
• Drone fleet management
• Drone show training

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Drone Hardware Sales: Sale of IO STAR 3 illuminated drones and complete ecosystem including Ground Control Station packs, charging stations, all-in-one transport platforms. Average drone rate approximately €870 per unit. Operators acquire drones to build their own show businesses.
2. Drone Rental Service: Short-term rental of professional drone fleets. Reserved for Drotek customers. Includes 24-hour worldwide delivery, simplified logistics, capacity on demand. Enables operators to create larger shows without full capital investment.
3. Drone Show Creation Service: Full-service drone show creation for customers lacking skills or time. Creative department handles complete show realization from design to execution, including touch-ups.
4. Training Program: Mandatory onboarding program for new operators. Includes 3 days training at Drotek facilities (equipment, safety, Blender/LightShow Creator) plus 2 days on-site training. In-person support for first show included.
5. Technical Support Service: Expert technical assistance on demand. Includes phone, email support and on-site assistance when required.
6. Regulation Support Service: Human support for complex regulatory paths including SORA file training, assistance with civil aviation authorities for flight authorizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Drotek designs, manufactures and sells an integrated drone light show ecosystem centered on the IO STAR 3 illuminated drone, complemented by a Ground Control Station, the LightShow Creator Blender add-on, All-in-one Cases, and a Drone Charging Station. The company also provides drone rental, training, show creation, technical support, and regulatory compliance services for entertainment, marketing, and pyrotechnics professionals.

Product overview

Drotek is a French manufacturer offering a complete, integrated drone light show ecosystem centered on the IO STAR 3 illuminated drone. The product portfolio comprises the IO STAR 3 drone (core product), the Ground Control Station Pack for fleet management and synchronized mission execution, the LightShow Creator Blender add-on for show design and simulation, the All-in-one Case/platform for drone transport and deployment, and the Drone Charging Station for battery management. These hardware and software products are complemented by a suite of services including drone rental, show creation, technical support, regulation support (SORA), and a structured operator training program. The ecosystem is designed to be fully interoperable, with LightShow Creator supporting integration with FWSim and Finale 3D for combined firework-drone show workflows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IO STAR 3 Drone A professional illuminated drone equipped with RGBW LEDs, GPS, RTK GNSS positioning, dual radio links, and an integrated Geoguard safety module, designed for commercial drone light shows and entertainment applications.
• Ground Control Station Pack Industrial computing platform paired with a dedicated drone remote and proprietary operating software for launching and controlling drone light shows, designed for professional drone show operators.
• LightShow Creator Add-on A Blender add-on software tool with AI capabilities that converts 3D animation into drone flight paths, allowing drone show creators to design and preview choreographed drone light shows.
• All-in-one Case A custom rugged transport case engineered for safe international shipment of a fleet of IO STAR 3 drones, designed for touring drone show operators.
• Drone Charging Station A fleet recharging and preparation station engineered for the IO STAR 3 drone, used by drone show operators to prepare fleets between performances.
• Drone Show Training Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Hot swap battery replacement during shows with 100% success rate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered notable, core and minor.

• DronisosnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Dronisos for drone light show performances, including a collaboration with The Dollywood Company. Dronisos is a French company specializing in drone light shows.
• DGAC (Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile)coreOthersRegulatory partnership for France. Drotek supports customers with authorization processes through DGAC for drone flight operations in French airspace.
• EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency)coreOthersRegulatory partnership for Europe. Drotek provides SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment) training and assistance for European drone operations.
• FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)coreOthersRegulatory partnership for United States. Drotek supports customers with authorization processes through FAA for drone flights in US airspace.
• Blender FoundationcoreTechnology or IntegrationLightShow Creator plugin integrates with Blender (open-source 3D creation suite). Enables transformation of 3D scenes into ready-to-fly drone shows.
• SiteGroundminorOthersWebsite hosting provider. Ensures data protection and security standards. Website hosted in EU in accordance with GDPR requirements.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Parrot: European drone manufacturer with professional and prosumer products. Operates in the same regional ecosystem as Drotek and influences regulatory and certification expectations across the EU market.
• DJI: Global leader in consumer and prosumer drones with broad portfolio. While not specialised in light show drones, DJI's component economics and SDK ecosystem shape the standards against which Drotek's hardware must compete.

Direct peers

• Sky Elements: US-based drone light show provider selling shows and equipment to events, festivals, and theme parks; directly overlaps Drotek's pyrotechnics replacement and event segment focus.
• SKYMAGIC: Global drone show company producing large-scale aerial performances for brands, cities, and events; competes with Drotek's IO STAR 3 ecosystem for the same pyrotechnics replacement and event agency budgets.
• Nova Sky Stories: Drone light show company formed from Droneisos North America, offering both operator services and hardware sales to event organisers and brands in the same target segments as Drotek.
• Droneisos: French-headquartered drone light show operator and platform provider. Directly comparable niche and customer base; cited in Drotek materials as a partner for theme park deployments including Dollywood.
• Verge Aero: US-based drone light show hardware and software provider selling a fully integrated ecosystem (drones, ground control, design software) to event operators, directly competing with Drotek's IO STAR 3 / GCS / LightShow Creator stack.
• Firefly Drone Shows: Drone light show operator producing branded aerial shows for agencies, theme parks, and live events; competes for the same freelancer and event-agency buyer that Drotek targets.
• Great Lakes Drone Company: US drone light show operator and equipment provider serving entertainment, municipal, and corporate clients with an integrated drone-plus-software offering comparable to Drotek's.

Regional players

• Drone Show Korea: Asia-Pacific focused drone light show operator; comparable product and show format but serves a different geography than Drotek's primary European/North American footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drotek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drotek

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 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 Drotek