The problem
Police, militaries and utilities need eyes on a scene or asset fast, without trained pilots or Chinese-made drones
What they do
US-made autonomous drones, docks and fleet software for public safety, defense and utilities
Traction ~$180M 2024 revenue, +80% YoY (Sacra est.); 3,800+ customers, 1,200+ public safety agencies (doubled YoY)
Hiring trend
- Open roles
- 167
- Ops roles
- 4
- Headcount
- ~970-1,070
Headcount ~851 → ~972 Q1 2025 to Q1 2026 (Revelio, +14%), ~1,067 Aug 2026 (Tracxn); postings +24% in 2026
Hiring in
- San Mateo
- Hayward
- Zurich
- Remote (Singapore)
- Remote (US)
Latest news
Sep 2026
Ascend 2026: launched F10 Lightrunner fixed-wing drone, MegaDock, Asset and Security Command ↗Glassdoor
3.8 ★ 169 reviews ↗Funding
- Last round
- $110M
- Stage
- Series F
- Date
- Apr 2026
Led by Existing investors (undisclosed; prior leads Linse Capital, a16z)
- Hiring+2167 open roles on the live job board (30+ roles = +2)
- Funding recency+2Series F · $110M, Apr 2026 (6 months ago): 6 months or less = +1.5, $100M+ round +0.5
- Traction+0.75Some growth: ~$180M 2024 revenue, +80% YoY (Sacra est.); 3,800+ customers, 1,200+ public safety agencies (doubled YoY)
- Red flags−11 significant flag in the last 24 months, −1 eachOct 2024 China sanctions cut off its Chinese battery supply; Skydio rationed batteries to one per drone into 2025 and the sanctions remain in force.Skydio: China's Sanctions on Skydio (Oct 2024) ↗ · TechCrunch: Skydio faces battery squeeze after Chinese sanctions (Oct 2024) ↗ · Manufacturing Dive: Skydio still on China's restricted list as it pledges $3.5B US build-out (Apr 2026) ↗
- Total3.752 + 2 + 0.75 − 1 = 3.75 → Tempo (3.5–4.24)
Distance (Half) is a separate read on how long the lead can last. It doesn't change the score.
Distance
Half · edge: cheaper at size
Largest US drone maker and the default NDAA-compliant pick, with 1,000+ public-safety docks, 80% of US multi-drone DFR waivers and a growing software layer; but demand leans on DJI bans and defense policy, rivals (Anduril, Red Cat, BRINC, Flock) are well funded, and the China battery cut-off showed real supply exposure.
Sources: Skydio: Ascend 2026 announcements, 1,000+ docks, 80% of multi-drone waivers (Sep 2026) ↗ · Sourcery: Skydio $110M Series F at $4.4B, 3,800+ customers (Apr 2026) ↗ · Sacra: Skydio at $180M/yr growing 80% YoY (Jul 2025) ↗
Watch-outs
Oct 2024 China sanctions cut off its Chinese battery supply; Skydio rationed batteries to one per drone into 2025 and the sanctions remain in force.
Sources: Skydio: China's Sanctions on Skydio (Oct 2024) ↗ · TechCrunch: Skydio faces battery squeeze after Chinese sanctions (Oct 2024) ↗ · Manufacturing Dive: Skydio still on China's restricted list as it pledges $3.5B US build-out (Apr 2026) ↗
Last checked Oct 25, 2026