F-drones, a Singapore-based startup developing large scale autonomous drones for maritime logistics, has announced a successful raising of seed capital.
The round was led by Singaporean owner Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) and also participated by German owner Schulte Group. Other investors include SEEDS Capital, Entrepreneur First, Orient Ventures, Superangel and a few Singapore-based angel investors.
F-drones provides commercial drone deliveries to ships and it is developing the Hyperlaunch Heavy (HLH), a fully electric and autonomous proprietary drone, capable of delivering 100 kg payloads over 100 km.
The company’s development has also been supported by various government agencies, including the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
“EPS is proud to lead F- drones’ first seed round. We firmly believe they will reinvent the shore-to-ship delivery process by being faster, cheaper, and cleaner than any existing model in use today. F-drones also adds an urgent layer of safety for seafarers and service providers by limiting human contact for routine deliveries. We see F-drones as pioneers in an emerging space which has immense potential and we are excited to be part of their journey,” said Gil Ofer, special advisor for innovation at EPS.
“As a key maritime hub, we support maritime technology start-ups which push the envelope driving the next phase of Maritime Singapore’s industry. By providing an enabling environment for solution providers to test bed within our waters and trial new technologies and systems for maritime operations, we accelerate the translation of new technologies into commercial ready solutions. MPA is glad to be able to support tech start-ups such as F-drones to take their solutions to market at a faster pace,” said Thomas Ting, chief technology officer of MPA.
