Percepto Skyrockets: FAA BVLOS Approval and $67M Boost

Percepto, an Israeli tech firm specializing in drone and robotic solutions for industrial site monitoring and inspection, has achieved a significant milestone. The company announced on Monday that it has procured a BVLOS waiver from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), giving it the green light to operate its autonomous drones across the U.S. without requiring site-specific approvals. This development comes hand-in-hand with a successful private funding round where Percepto raised $67 million, according to Reuters.

Percepto’s drone technology is geared towards helping industrial companies face a range of challenges that include maintaining robust critical infrastructure, meeting high productivity benchmarks, and boosting safety standards. The company’s drone systems offer real-time insights into the state of a facility’s infrastructure, thereby allowing potential problems to be identified and rectified before they balloon into larger incidents.

The company’s CEO was quoted as saying, “the FAA waiver removes logistical and cost barriers, such as the need for radars or people on the ground, fuelling the adoption of autonomous drone technology.”

In the investment sphere, the funding round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), with participation from new investors Zimmer Partners and a major U.S. energy company. Several existing investors also contributed, including U.S. Venture Partners, Delek US Holdings, Atento Capital, Spider Capital, and Arkin Holdings.

This recent influx of funds brings Percepto’s total capital raised to $120 million, illustrating significant support and confidence in their technology and the value it brings to the industrial sector. The FAA waiver, coupled with the successful funding round, opens the door for Percepto to widen its U.S. footprint and revolutionize the way industrial facilities are managed and inspected.