Azur Drones, the French pioneer in civil professional UAVs, has carried out a fourth fund-raising exercise of €3.5 million. It has now raised more than €10 million in funds over the last 12 months and, with Skeyetech, completes its third defining acquisition in nine months. The company is the French leader in UAV video-protection solutions with its Drones’Guard offer, and is being deployed internationally.

Azur Drones acquires Skeyetech

This Bordeaux gem, comprising 15 high-level engineers, has developed a system of standalone UAVs designed to secure industrial sites. The UAVs take off automatically when sensors detect possible intrusions, then carry out cross-checks to confirm and characterise these intrusions, and finally automatically return to their sealed recharging bases.

This breakthrough innovation enables Azur Drones to offer a plug and play solution for securing industrial sites worldwide, in addition to its existing range of wireline and fixed-wing UAVs.

The Bordeaux centre will bring together all the Group’s Research & Development activities and will become a major R&D centre in the defence and security sector. The Sophia Antipolis site has become the production unit for the Azur Drones Group’s UAVs. Antoine Lecestre and Grégoire Linard, the two founders of Skeyetech, have joined Azur Drones as partners and members of the Management Committee.

The company’s turnover has topped the €4.5 million mark, with 50 employees spread over four sites in France, and it aims to achieve a turnover of more than €10 million in 2018.

The following were involved in the operation:

Azur Drones

Lawyer: CJA, Mustapha Oussedrat

Auditor: H3P, Eric Hinderer

Skeyetech

Lawyer: TTC, Dimitri Barrois