Airware

{{Infobox company

| name = Airware, Inc.

| logo = Airware logo.svg

| logo_size = 250px

| founded = 2011

| key_people = Jonathan Downey (Founder) Yvonne Wassenaar (CEO)

| industry = UAV Systems

| homepage = [http://www.airware.com/ Airware.com]

| footnotes =

| location = San Francisco, California

}}

Airware (incorporated as Unmanned Innovation, Inc.) was an American venture-funded startup that provided commercial unmanned aerial vehicles for enterprises.{{cite web|url=http://www.airware.com/about-us |title=Company |publisher=Airware Inc. |date= |access-date=2013-05-30}} The company ceased operations on September 14, 2018.{{cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/14/airware-shuts-down/ |title=Drone startup Airware crashes, will shut down after burning $118M|last=Constine |first=Josh |newspaper=TechCrunch |date=2018-09-14}}

Airware was founded in 2011 in Newport Beach, California, by Jonathan Downey.{{Cite web |date=2013-05-16 |title=O.C. drone software firm raises $10.7 million |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2013/05/16/oc-drone-software-firm-raises-107-million/ |access-date=2022-09-15 |website=Orange County Register |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Dorbian |first=Iris |date=2013-05-15 |title=Airware Raises $10.7 Mln Round led by Andreessen Horowitz, Google Ventures |url=https://www.pehub.com/airware-raises-10-7-mln-google-andreessen-horowitz/ |access-date=2022-09-15 |website=PE Hub |language=en-US}} The company relocated to San Francisco in January 2014.{{cite news |last=Sablan |first=Kevin |title=O.C. drone company moving to Bay Area |url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/company-594519-energy-beach.html |access-date=2 April 2014 |newspaper=Orange County Register |date=22 December 2013}}

The company produced enterprise drones which combine hardware, on-aircraft and mobile software, and cloud services. Downey has stated the company is focused on building systems for drones for commercial uses, including anti-poaching efforts, infrastructure inspections, and precision agriculture.{{cite news|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/video/using-drones-assist-search-rescue-231658713.html |title=Rhino-Saving Drones Give Surveillance a Kinder Look |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314154737/https://sg.news.yahoo.com/video/using-drones-assist-search-rescue-231658713.html |archive-date=2017-03-14 |newspaper=Bloomberg Businessweek |date=2013-06-28}}

History

Airware was founded by Downey in 2011 out of a frustration with the "inflexible and costly" autopilot systems for unmanned aircraft.{{cite news |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/innovators-under-35/2016/visionary/jonathan-downey/ |title=Innovators Under 35: Jonathan Downey |newspaper=MIT Technology Review |last1=Simonite |first1=Tom |date=2016}}

Airware was incubated at both Lemnos Labs and Y Combinator. In March 2016, the company announced a $30 million Series C round of financing led by Next World Capital with Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Cisco Systems executive chairman John T. Chambers.{{cite news|url=http://fortune.com/2016/03/31/ciscos-john-chambers-airware/ |title=Cisco's John Chambers Just Invested In A Hot Drone Startup |newspaper=Fortune |date=2016-03-31 |last1=Vanian |first1=Jonathan}} Andreessen Horowitz partner Martin Casado, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner Mike Abbott, and John T. Chambers are members of the company's board.{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/03/31/drone-startup-airware-makes-larger-enterprise-push-adds-former-cisco-ceo-to-board/#649ec235aac4 |title=Drone Startup Airware Raises $30 Million, Adds Cisco's John Chambers To Board |newspaper=Forbes |last1=Mac |first1=Ryan |date=2016-03-31}} In 2015, Airware launched a new venture fund for commercial drones to support "scaling the use of drones across a variety of commercial applications."{{cite news |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3046758/drone-os-developer-airware-launches-new-fund-for-commercial-drones |title=Drone OS Developer Airware Launches New Fund For Commercial Drones |last1=Terdiman |first1=Daniel |date=2015-05-27 |newspaper=Fast Company}}{{cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/05/27/drone-fund/ |title=Airware And DJI/Accel Launch Drone Investment Funds |last1=Constine |first1=Josh |date=2015-05-27 |newspaper=TechCrunch}} Airware purchased Redbird, a drone analytics software company, in 2016.{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/commercial-drone-startup-airware-buys-drone-analytics-software-redbird-1474527660 |title=Commercial Drone Startup Airware Buys Drone Analytics Software Redbrid |last1=Haggin |first1=Patience |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=2016-09-22}} On September 14, 2018, Airware announced it was ceasing operations effective immediately.

Products and services

Airware offered enterprise drone services combining hardware, on-aircraft and mobile software, and cloud services for industries like mining, insurance, and construction.{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2017/03/09/young-leaders-40-under-jonathan-downey-airware.html |title=Forty Under 40: Jonathan Downey, Airware |date=2017-03-09 |newspaper=San Francisco Business Times}} Airware offered navigation software for drones, table software to guide and monitors drones in flight, and cloud services to store and manage the information gathered by drones.{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/12/15/airware-ceo-small-business-innovator-year/77309546/ |title=Airware CEO is Small Business Innovator of the year |newspaper=USA Today |last1=Jansen |first1=Bart |date=2015-12-15}} Where most software is designed for specific models of drones, Airware was developing a platform that enables compatibility across aircraft.{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/07/23/airware-entrepreneur-downey-auvsi-lemnos/26125045/ |title=Airware Navigates future of drones |date=2015-07-27 |last1=Jansen |first1=Bart |newspaper=USA Today}} The company previously collaborated with commercial drone manufacturers to integrate its autopilot hardware and software, then consulted directly with enterprise clients to identify solutions and to ensure regulatory compliance.{{cite news |last=Haggin |first=Patience |title=Drone Startups Pivoting to Enterprise Services |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=2016-10-24 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/drone-startups-pivoting-to-enterprise-services-1477395001}}{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2016/03/31/airware-takes-off-with-30-million-for-commercial-drone-operating-system/ |title=Airware Takes Off With $30 Million for Commercial Drone Operating System |last1=Haggin |first1=Patience |date=2016-03-31 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}}