Skydio grounds consumer drone sales

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Skydio announced that it is halting its consumer drone operations, four years after its Skydio 2 consumer drone was released. 

The company is ending its consumer drone efforts to better focus on the impact it’s having on over 1,500 enterprise and public sector customers. According to Skydio, its drones are being used to put sensors in dangerous and important places to perform inspections, find missing children, and keep the military safe. It is also making core industries, like public safety, transportation, energy, construction, and defense, safer and more efficient. 

While The company will no longer be offering the Skydio 2+ Start, Sports, Cinema, or Pro Kits, it will continue to provide software and customer support for existing customers. The company’s drones were best known for their advanced autonomous capabilities.

Skydio also plans to stand by all warranty terms, Skydio Care, and will continue vehicle repairs. It will also retain an inventory of accessories for as long as it can to support the need for replacement batteries, propellers, charging cables, and more. 

Earlier this year, in February, Skydio brought in $230 million in Series E funding, bringing the company’s total funding to $562 million. 

Skydio drones are now used by every branch of the U.S. Department of Defense, by over half of all U.S. State Departments of Transportation, by over 200 public safety agencies in 47 states and across more than 60 energy utilities. The company has benefited from negative press related to competitor DJI, and restrictions on the use of DJI drones by US government agencies.

Back in March 2021, Skydio was the first US drone maker to reach unicorn status after its Series D funding round. Last year, it added 40% to its staff and unveiled its 36,000-square-foot Hayward, California production facility, a 10-fold increase in capacity. The company aims to add over 150 manufacturing jobs to its Hayward, CA factory and other U.S. locations to meet demand and service its increasing global customer base.