U.S. drone manufacturer Skydio plans to increase capacity tenfold with new manufacturing facilities in Hayward, California, company officials said Monday. The company projects the creation of over 150 manufacturing jobs for the Hayward facilities and other U.S. locations.
Skydio, founded in 2014, has reported 30-times growth over the past three years. In the last year alone, Skydio’s overall headcount increased by 40%. The company has raised $230 million in funding in its Series E round, elevating its total funding raised to $562 million with a current valuation of more than $2.2 billion.
Now the largest drone manufacturer in the U.S., Skydio drones are used by over half of all U.S. state departments of transportation and every branch of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Companies based in China have long dominated the market, but global trade tensions have enable Skydio to grow quickly.
“We are still in the early innings of the industry, but we are seeing extraordinary demand globally from organizations addressing needs important to every citizen,” said Adam Bry, co-founder and CEO of Skydio.
