Flying Labs

What Flying Labs does

Flying Labs is a global network of independent local knowledge hubs that convene local experts in professional drone, data, and AI services for social good applications. Founded in 2019 and operated under the registered service mark of WeRobotics Inc. (a US nonprofit), the network spans 40+ countries across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific, with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. As of the data available, 367 projects, 236 professional trainings, and 216 STEM programs have been implemented across the network since inception.

The core technology stack centers on unmanned aerial vehicles (DJI Mavic 2 Pro, Matrice 300, Tello), photogrammetry and LiDAR sensing, GIS and remote sensing (QGIS, PIX4Dmatic, Pix4D Fields, Esri tools), multispectral and RGB imaging, and AI/ML applied to geospatial data. Notable proprietary offerings include an open-source AI-powered Forest Fire Assessment platform built with Tech To The Rescue that processes Sentinel-2 satellite imagery for fire severity mapping, and a methane detection system integrating Aeromon gas sensors on Matrice 300 drones. Educational offerings include Scratch/Python-based Tello drone programming and a 35-hour MapeiaLAB course in geoprocessing and applied AI delivered with UFABC and Lenovo.

The business model is service-based and grant/partnership-funded. Revenue streams include professional training, consulting and advisory services, project-based drone deployments for government and NGO clients, and network support from technology and organizational partners. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and there is no consumer product or transaction-based revenue. Distribution is entirely through the network model: each country hub serves as a direct field-sales and delivery channel to government agencies, NGOs, universities, and communities in its territory. Key customers include national civil protection agencies (Togo, Botswana), universities (UFABC, University of Botswana, UNAM, IBERO, SENACYT researchers), and education-focused organizations such as the Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad.

Name

Flying Labs

Legal name

WeRobotics Inc.

Website

https://flyinglabs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Flying Labs is a global network of 40+ independent local hubs across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific that deliver drone, data, and AI services for disaster response, environmental monitoring, agriculture, and STEM education to governments, NGOs, and educational institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drone Services and AI Training

NAICS

Flight Training (611512)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Aerial Surveying & Crop Scouting (Imaging, Mapping, Stand Counts) (AFACAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Drone/UAS Application Services (Spraying, Spreading, Seeding) (AFACAIAB)

Keywords

• Drone operations training
• AI data analytics
• Social impact consulting
• Humanitarian technology services
• Local capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Services: Flying Labs provide professional training programs in drone operation, GIS, data analysis, and AI applications. These capacity-building initiatives equip local communities with technical skills.
2. Consulting and Advisory Services: Flying Labs offer consulting services on all aspects of geospatial and robotics discipline, including sector applications and project implementation.
3. Project-based Drone Services: Implementing drone-related projects for government agencies, NGOs, and organizations, including post-disaster damage assessment, environmental monitoring, and agricultural surveys.
4. Network Membership/Support: Organizations can support the network as technology partners, organizational partners, funders, donors, or subject matter experts to sustain the global Flying Labs ecosystem.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Flying Labs operates a global network of independent local knowledge hubs that deliver drone technology, data, and AI services for social-good applications. Its core commercial activities include professional drone and AI training, consulting engagements, and project-based drone services delivered through local hubs across more than 40 countries.

Product overview

Flying Labs is a global network of 40+ independent local knowledge hubs across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific. The offering is organized around drone, data, and AI services for social good, delivered through local Flying Labs chapters. The core portfolio includes Drone Services for Social Good (aerial mapping, disaster response, environmental monitoring), Local Capacity Building Programs (drone training, GIS skills), Youth/STEM Programs (educational workshops, drone racing), Ecosystem Building & Facilitation (knowledge exchange, advocacy), and Sector-Specific Consulting (advisory for disaster, agriculture, health). Add-on specialized offerings include the AI Forest Fire Assessment Platform (Brazil), AI Crop Monitoring System (Costa Rica), Momentum AI Chatbot (Pakistan), and Entrepreneurship Programs. The network is co-created with and facilitated by WeRobotics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Drone and AI Training Programs Structured training programs that build local practitioner capacity in commercial drone operations, data acquisition, and AI-based analytics, delivered to individuals and organizations such as NGOs, government agencies, and educational institutions via local Flying Labs hubs.
• Project-Based Drone and AI Service Engagements Contracted drone-based data collection and AI analytics services delivered through local hubs for clients such as government agencies, NGOs, and sector organizations in agriculture, environment, and humanitarian programs.
• AI and Data Analytics Consulting Consulting engagements that convert drone-collected imagery and other field data into actionable insights using AI and machine learning, delivered to organizations across humanitarian, development, agriculture, and environmental sectors.
• Flying Labs Network Support and Membership Ongoing support offering under which local Flying Labs hubs operate under the Flying Labs service mark, receiving coordination, brand, and operational support in exchange for participation in the network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 367 projects implemented since 2019
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability11 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• WeRoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeRobotics is the founding organization that co-creates and facilitates the Flying Labs Network. Flying Labs is a registered service mark of WeRobotics Inc. The organization provides strategic support, facilitates network collaboration, and has developed frameworks like the Drone Regulations Engagement Framework.
• GeoTechVisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJamaica Flying Labs partners with GeoTechVision for local capacity building. GeoTechVision's Technical Services Manager Dean-Ray Grant coordinates Jamaica Flying Labs activities.
• Marlie Technology ParkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJamaica Flying Labs collaborates with Marlie Technology Park on youth innovation hub and business incubation programs in Jamaica and the Caribbean.
• HOT (Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team)majorTechnology or IntegrationJamaica Flying Labs serves as official training partner for HOT's Drone Task Manager, a powerful tool that streamlines drone mapping workflows for disaster resilience and development.
• Bangladesh Open Source Network (BdOSN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBangladesh Flying Labs partners with BdOSN to deliver drone workshops in remote girls-only schools across coastal districts, building on BdOSN's existing STEM training programs.
• Tech To The RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazil Flying Labs partnered with Tech To The Rescue to develop an AI-powered Forest Fire Assessment platform for environmental authorities in São Paulo state.
• LenovocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLenovo provided funding and partnership support for the MapeiaLAB course and larger fire assessment project by Brazil Flying Labs.
• UFABC (Universidade Federal do ABC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazil Flying Labs partnered with UFABC to host the MapeiaLAB course, with UFABC providing certification and academic credibility.
• Pix4DmajorTechnology or IntegrationPix4D provided software tools for the MapeiaLAB course, including PIX4Dmatic for mapping workflows.
• AeromoncoreTechnology or IntegrationPeru Flying Labs collaborated with Aeromon to conduct methane detection flights using drones equipped with Aeromon's gas sensors and cloud-based data processing.
• Esri PanamacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEsri Panama organized the Geospatial Sciences Training Program and invited Panama Flying Labs to conduct drone workshops for SENACYT researchers.
• SENACYTmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSENACYT (National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of Panama) provided researchers for drone training workshops organized by Panama Flying Labs.
• IBEROmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexico Flying Labs collaborated with researchers from IBERO (Universidad Iberoamericana) for biomass estimation of tropical forests using drones and LiDAR.
• UNAMmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexico Flying Labs partnered with UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) researchers for drone-based biomass estimation project in Calakmul.
• Guardian del Bosque (Forest Guardians Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCosta Rica Flying Labs collaborated with Forest Guardians Association for Turning Data into Action project to protect sensitive ecosystems in the Southern Caribbean.
• Green Xpo LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Xpo Lab hosts Costa Rica Flying Labs, bringing expertise in coffee and pineapple data for crop monitoring and disease detection.
• SAM LabsmajorTechnology or IntegrationSAM Labs provides the backbone for Botswana Flying Labs' STEAM programs, enabling coding and robotics education initiatives.
• Aerobotix SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAerobotix Solutions partnered with Botswana Flying Labs to strengthen visibility and capacity building efforts.
• Ubuntu ConnectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUbuntu Connect partnered with Botswana Flying Labs to strengthen visibility and capacity building efforts.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• senseFly (Parrot): Manufactures fixed-wing and rotary drones used for surveying, mapping, agriculture, and inspection—closely comparable to the hardware stack Flying Labs deploys. A useful peer for understanding the drone-services hardware value chain Flying Labs sits on top of.
• WeRobotics: Parent and founding organization of the Flying Labs Network; the closest comparable entity given direct operational overlap in convening local drone/data/AI capacity for social good. WeRobotics facilitates Flying Labs and shares strategic frameworks, so any Flying Labs investment thesis must be evaluated alongside the parent's trajectory.
• DJI Enterprise: The dominant global drone manufacturer whose products (DJI Mavic 2 Pro, Matrice 300, Tello) Flying Labs explicitly uses across disaster response, methane detection, and STEM education. Comparable as the platform vendor whose hardware ecosystem Flying Labs' services are built upon.

Others

• Esri: GIS platform provider partnered with Panama Flying Labs for geospatial sciences training. Comparable as an enabling technology partner and adjacent GIS/mapping peer whose tools are central to Flying Labs' analytics offerings.
• Pix4D: Photogrammetry and drone-mapping software provider that Flying Labs actively partners with (e.g., MapeiaLAB course in Brazil). Comparable as an enabling technology layer whose tools are embedded in Flying Labs' workflow, and a peer for any software-monetization trajectory.

Direct peers

• DroneDeploy: Cloud-based drone mapping and analytics platform for construction, agriculture, and inspection—overlapping with Flying Labs' aerial mapping and AI-based assessment offerings (e.g., forest fire, crop monitoring). Comparable as a software-enabled drone services competitor.
• PrecisionHawk: Provides commercial drone-based data collection and analytics for agriculture, infrastructure inspection, and disaster response—directly overlapping with Flying Labs' aerial mapping, crop monitoring, and damage assessment offerings, although PrecisionHawk serves more developed-market enterprise clients.
• Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT): Jamaica Flying Labs is HOT's official training partner for the Drone Task Manager. HOT is a closely comparable peer in the open-source, community-led mapping-for-humanitarian-response space, with overlapping beneficiary base and tooling philosophy.
• Zipline: Operates drone delivery services for healthcare and logistics in emerging markets (including Africa), overlapping with Flying Labs' medical supply delivery use cases in Haiti and shared customer segments (governments, NGOs, healthcare providers). Zipline is a more commercially-scaled drone services operator in similar geographies.

Emerging players

• African Drone Forum / AfriGEO: Regional ecosystem conveners and conferences (African Drone Forum, AfriGEO Symposium) where Flying Labs actively participates. Comparable as a community-led peer for cross-border collaboration, capacity building, and policy advocacy in African drone ecosystems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flyinglabs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Flying Labs