PHOTOCOPTERE SOLUTIONS

What PHOTOCOPTERE SOLUTIONS does

Photocoptere Solutions is a private, owner-operated French drone services and training company founded in 2011 and headquartered at the Besançon La Vèze aerodrome in Bourgogne Franche-Comté. The business operates two integrated service lines. The first is professional drone intervention work, encompassing aerial photography and videography, 2D/3D photogrammetry and cartography, infrastructure inspection (rooftops, wind turbines, bridges), thermography and thermal diagnostics, FPV event animation, construction site monitoring, virtual tours, time-lapse capture, and day/night lost-animal search — delivered on a quote or requisition basis to production companies, architects, surveyors, and public administrations across Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Alsace, Switzerland, and nationally for audiovisual productions. The second line is EASA-compliant drone pilot training (Open A1/A2/A3, Specific STS 01/02, FPV, thermography, photogrammetry) delivered individually and on-demand at the company's 3-hectare aerodrome facility, with training priced from €490 and durations of 1-5 days.

The underlying technology stack is purpose-built professional drone hardware rather than software or AI: each aircraft is dedicated to a specific mission type (thermal, inspection, photogrammetry, underwater, indoor) and equipment is renewed regularly to ensure stable, safe output. The company emphasizes an incident-free track record of several thousand flight hours since 2011, dual-control training drones, and full EASA compliance. There are no disclosed software platforms, APIs, AI/ML pipelines, or data products — the value lies in operator expertise, specialized equipment, and certified training delivery.

Photocoptere monetizes primarily through two one-time-fee revenue streams: per-project drone service contracts and per-learner individual training programs. The training operation is formally registered with DREETS Bourgogne Franche-Comté (number 27250334125 since 2013) and benefits from Qualiopi portage that enables OPCO/FAF funding eligibility for professional trainees. The business reaches customers via direct contact (phone, email, website), professional referrals, and co-location visibility at the aerodrome. Distribution is direct sales only — services delivered on client sites regionally, training delivered on-site at Besançon La Vèze by appointment year-round. The company has no disclosed investors, no funding history, no parent or subsidiary structure, and operates with 1-10 employees, consistent with a micro-scale, owner-operated service business.

Name

PHOTOCOPTERE SOLUTIONS

Legal name

Photocoptere

Website

https://photocoptere.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Photocoptere Solutions is a private French drone services and training company operating from the Besançon La Vèze aerodrome since 2011, serving B2B clients (production firms, architects, surveyors, administrations) across eastern France and Switzerland with aerial imaging, inspection, and photogrammetry, and delivering EASA-compliant individual drone pilot training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

La Vèze

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Drone Intervention Services: Aerial photography, videography, photogrammetry, inspection, thermography and other technical drone services provided to professionals on a quote/estimate basis.
2. Drone Training Programs: Individual, customized drone pilot training programs (EASA Open A1/A2/A3, Specific STS, FPV, thermography, photogrammetry) starting from €490, with duration of 1 to 5 days depending on the selected formula.
3. Professional Services - Technical Interventions: Technical drone interventions for professionals including audiovisual production, construction site monitoring, virtual tours, and timelapse capture.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Photocoptere delivers professional drone-based intervention services to businesses and public-sector clients (aerial photography and videography, corporate films, 2D/3D photogrammetry and cartography, roof/wind-turbine/bridge inspection, thermography and thermal diagnostics, FPV event animation, construction site monitoring, virtual tours, and timelapse). It also operates an EASA-compliant drone pilot training school at the Besançon La Vèze aerodrome offering individualized courses (Open A1/A2/A3, Specific STS 01/02, FPV, thermography, photogrammetry) from €490.

Product overview

Photocoptere operates as a dual-service drone company offering professional drone intervention services and drone pilot training. The intervention services span aerial photography/videography, corporate films, 2D/3D photogrammetry and cartography, infrastructure inspections (rooftops, wind turbines, bridges), thermography/thermal diagnostics, lost animal search operations (day and night), FPV event animation, construction site monitoring, virtual tours, and time-lapse capture. The training division provides EASA-compliant certification programs for Open A1/A2/A3 and Specific STS 01/02 categories, FPV flight training, thermography, and photogrammetry courses, all conducted at Besançon La Vèze aerodrome with dual-control training drones.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Drone Intervention Services On-demand drone-based services for professional clients (production companies, architects, topographers, public administration, infrastructure operators) including aerial imaging, photogrammetry, inspections, and thermography, delivered on a quote, purchase-order, or requisition basis.
• Professional Drone Pilot Training (BAPD / CATS) Individualized EASA-compliant drone pilot training (Open A1/A2/A3, Specific STS 01/02) plus FPV, thermography, and photogrammetry modules, conducted on dual-command training drones at a 3-hectare aerodrome facility, with courses starting at €490 and lasting 1–5 days.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Domergue AviationcoreOthersCo-located at the Domergue Aviation facilities at Besançon La Vèze aerodrome. This partnership provides Photocoptere with access to professional aviation infrastructure and runway facilities necessary for drone operations and training.
• Club Aéronautique ComtoiscoreOthersCo-located with Club Aéronautique Comtois at the Besançon La Vèze aerodrome, sharing aviation community facilities and infrastructure.
• PREPA DRONEmajorTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for theoretical drone pilot exam administration. Through this partnership, candidates can take the BAPD or STS theoretical exam on-site at Photocoptere's facilities upon completion of practical training.
• DREETS Bourgogne Franche-ComtémajorOthersOfficial regulatory registration as a professional training organization (Déclaration d'activité formation professionnelle) under number 27250334125 since 2013, enabling formal training operations.
• OPCO/FAF (Professional Funding Organizations)supportingOthersThrough a Qualiopi portage partner, training programs are eligible for financing through OPCO (Opérateurs de Compétences) and FAF (Fonds d'Assurance Formation) for professional qualification funding.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• senseFly (Parrot subsidiary): Swiss-based fixed-wing drone manufacturer specializing in mapping, surveying, and photogrammetry workflows. Comparable to Photocoptere in the photogrammetry/cartography segment and as a European drone-services ecosystem player (now under Parrot).
• Parrot SA: French-listed drone manufacturer with both consumer and professional drone lines. Comparable to Photocoptere as a French drone-industry player and as a competitor in the professional services/training ecosystem, though primarily a hardware manufacturer.
• Drone Volt: French publicly-listed drone manufacturer and service provider offering professional UAV solutions across inspection, agriculture, security, and surveying. Comparable to Photocoptere as a broader French drone-services incumbent with overlapping service categories (inspection, surveying) and B2B orientation.
• DJI: Global dominant commercial drone manufacturer whose platforms underpin most professional drone-service businesses including Photocoptere's fleet. Broad incumbent shaping the competitive structure of drone services and a key supplier-adjacent peer.

Others

• Pix4D: Swiss photogrammetry software company whose tools are widely used by drone-based mapping professionals. Adjacent/ecosystem peer to Photocoptere's photogrammetry and cartography service line — same end-customers, complementary rather than competitive offering.

Direct peers

• Delta Drone: French professional drone services company focused on industrial inspection, mining, and infrastructure asset monitoring. Directly comparable to Photocoptere in providing B2B drone-based inspection and mapping services to enterprise clients in France.
• Cyberhawk: UK-based drone inspection and surveying company serving oil & gas, utilities, and infrastructure owners. Directly comparable to Photocoptere's inspection and thermography practice area, with similar enterprise B2B go-to-market and visual/thermal data capture.
• RedBird: French drone services and pilot training company offering EASA-certified training programs and professional aerial imaging services. Directly comparable to Photocoptere in combining drone pilot training with B2B service delivery in the French market.

Emerging players

• Flypix AI: Aerial analytics and drone-based inspection/data platform serving infrastructure and agriculture. Emerging peer to Photocoptere's inspection/mapping service line that combines drone capture with software-driven analytics, representing a software-led evolution of the same workflow.

Regional players

• Aeromedia: Spanish drone services company providing aerial filming, photogrammetry, inspection, and industrial applications. Comparable to Photocoptere in service mix (filming, inspection, mapping) but operating primarily in a different geography (Spain vs. France).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cm-drones

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 PHOTOCOPTERE SOLUTIONS