DronePrep

What DronePrep does

DronePrep Ltd is a privately held UK company, founded in 2019 and registered in England and Wales (company number 12107809), headquartered at Malvern Hills Science Park in Malvern, with operations in Worcester. The company builds and operates the DronePrep Map, a web-based mapping platform that helps drone pilots identify where they may legally fly and obtain landowner permission for takeoff and landing, while enabling landowners to publish standardised Drone Access Policies. The platform aggregates primary data from landowners and drone users together with third-party open and commercial geospatial datasets, and integrates with HM Land Registry, Registrars of Scotland, Ordnance Survey and ESRI for authoritative land parcel information.

The product portfolio is centered on three offerings: the DronePrep Map (core platform), a Drone Access Policy add-on providing consultation, site assessment and policy creation services for landowners, and a Drone Delivery module supporting consortia such as Royal Mail, NHS and Skyports in charting and commercialising delivery corridors. Revenue is generated through annual subscriptions for landowners registering policies (processed via Stripe) and bespoke consultation and marketing packages, distributed primarily through a self-serve web channel targeted at the UK's 250,000+ hobbyist and 10,000+ professional drone operators, alongside a sales-led motion for enterprise landowner accounts.

DronePrep serves a dual customer base: drone pilots seeking legal flight locations, and landowners (estates, heritage sites, agricultural land, local authorities) seeking to permit or restrict drone access and mitigate liability. The company has built strategic partnerships with Royal Mail, NHS, Skyports, Microsoft for Startups, BetaDen, FPV UK and what3words, and was part of the consortium that secured the UK's first permanent BVLOS permission from the Civil Aviation Authority. DronePrep operates with a small team (1-10 employees) and has not disclosed funding rounds or revenue figures.

Name

DronePrep

Legal name

DronePrep Ltd

Website

https://droneprep.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DronePrep Ltd is a UK-based geospatial platform that connects drone pilots with landowners through the DronePrep Map, enabling legal flight planning and standardised Drone Access Policies for a UK market of 250,000+ hobbyists and 10,000+ professional operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Worcester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. DronePrep Map Subscription: The platform provides access to drone pilots who can view landowner drone access policies. Landowners subscribe to register their policies on the map. The platform integrates with Stripe for secure payment processing.
2. Landowner Consultation Services: Consultation services for landowners include site assessments, policy creation, and bespoke marketing packages to increase interest in their sites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DronePrep operates a web-based mapping platform (The DronePrep Map) that enables drone pilots to identify legal locations to fly drones and obtain landowner permission for takeoff and landing. The platform aggregates landowner Drone Access Policies with third-party open and commercial datasets, including land parcel data from HM Land Registry and Registrars of Scotland. The company also provides consultation services for landowners to design and register bespoke drone access policies, and supports drone delivery trials with partners such as Royal Mail and NHS.

Product overview

DronePrep offers a unified platform centered on The DronePrep Map, which serves as the core product for drone access management. The platform facilitates permission-based drone flying by aggregating landowner policies and third-party geospatial data. Two key add-on services extend the platform: Drone Access Policy (consultation services for landowners creating drone access policies) and Drone Delivery (support for drone delivery consortiums). Together, these products create an end-to-end solution connecting drone pilots, landowners, and delivery stakeholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The DronePrep Map

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• FPV UKminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2021Partnership offering FPV UK members a 30% discount on all DronePrep Map subscriptions. This is a commercial partnership providing discounted access to drone pilots.
• Microsoft for StartupscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2021DronePrep was accepted onto the Microsoft for Startups Programme in March 2021 - a global program providing technology and business support to help startups scale. Microsoft logo appears on DronePrep's supported-by section.
• BetaDenminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2021DronePrep completed the nine-month BetaDen technology accelerator programme Cohort 3.0, presenting their pitch alongside seven other startups.
• WindracerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Part of Solent Transport consortia working with Windracer on COVID-19 medical supply drone transport trials between Isle of Wight and mainland using Windracer ULTRA UAV.
• Royal MailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDronePrep is part of groundbreaking drone delivery trials with Royal Mail exploring drone delivery in the UK. Projects include deliveries to Isle of Mull, Isle of Wight, and Isles of Scilly. The collaboration includes NHS for essential medical supply deliveries.
• SkyportscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the drone delivery consortium with Royal Mail, Skyports, and what3words working on drone delivery trials in the UK.
• NHScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NHS to deliver essential PPE and COVID test kits to remote communities via drone delivery as part of COVID-19 response trials.
• HM Land RegistrycoreTechnology or IntegrationHM Land Registry provides authoritative land parcel data integrated into the DronePrep platform, enabling accurate landowner identification for drone access policies.
• ESRIcoreTechnology or IntegrationESRI provides geospatial technology support as part of the platform's data infrastructure.
• Ordnance SurveycoreTechnology or IntegrationOrdnance Survey provides mapping data support for the DronePrep platform.
• UKRI InnovateminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUKRI Innovate UK appears in DronePrep's supported-by section, indicating grant or programme support for innovation.
• GeovationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGeovation appears in DronePrep's supported-by section as a startup support organisation.
• Registrars of ScotlandcoreTechnology or IntegrationRegistrars of Scotland provides land parcel data for Scottish properties, enabling accurate landowner identification north of the border.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Skyports: Drone delivery infrastructure operator and vertiport developer that partners with DronePrep in the Royal Mail drone delivery consortium. Provides drone delivery operations rather than airspace access software, but operates in the same UK drone delivery ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Skyward: Verizon-owned drone operations management platform providing airspace access, flight planning, and fleet management for commercial drone operators. Directly comparable drone airspace authorization and operations workflow.
• Airspace Link: US-based UTM and drone airspace authorization platform working with the FAA and local governments on LAANC and corridor programs. Directly comparable as a drone airspace access and policy platform.
• PrecisionHawk: US-based commercial drone platform combining airspace management, drone operations enablement, and aerial data analytics. Overlaps with DronePrep on low-altitude airspace awareness and enterprise drone operations.
• ANRA Technologies: US-based UTM platform operating the SmartSky and NIAS programs for the FAA, providing airspace management, flight planning, and drone authorization services. Directly comparable drone airspace access offering.
• Altitude Angel: UK-based unmanned traffic management (UTM) platform providing airspace authorization, flight planning, and drone operations management to airports, regulators, and drone operators. Most direct competitor to DronePrep in the UK low-level airspace access category.
• AirData (Kittyhawk): Drone fleet operations and airspace awareness platform providing flight logging, airspace intelligence, and compliance tools to commercial drone operators worldwide. Comparable to DronePrep's airspace access and policy focus.
• Unifly: Belgium-based UTM platform serving European aviation authorities and drone operators with airspace management, flight planning, and authorization services. Comparable UTM product offering targeting similar drone airspace access use cases.
• Airspace Systems: US-based UTM and drone airspace management company that absorbed the former AirMap UTM technology. Provides low-altitude airspace authorization, geofencing, and situational awareness tools directly comparable to DronePrep's low-level airspace access positioning.

Broad incumbents

• DJI FlightHub: DJI's enterprise drone fleet management and live operations platform offering airspace awareness, fleet coordination, and live streaming for commercial drone operators. Comparable airspace feature set though delivered as part of DJI's broader drone hardware/software ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DronePrepUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/droneprep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/droneprep
• Instagraminstagram.com/droneprep

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 DronePrep