Wingtra raises $22M to revolutionize the $83B mapping industry with their cutting-edge drones

On March 21, Wingtra, a company based in Zurich that specializes in manufacturing professional mapping and surveying drones, declared that it has raised approximately €20.38M ($22M) in a Series B funding round with the objective of extending its global operations.

The funding round was supported by a consortium of investors, including DiamondStream Partners, EquityPitcher Ventures, Verve Ventures, ACE & Company, the European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund), successful Swiss entrepreneurs, and John L. Steffens, the founder of Spring Mountain Capital.

Dean Donovan, the representative of DiamondStream, stated, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Wingtra. The product’s straightforwardness, high-reliability engineering, and the company’s worldwide network of value-added resellers and service providers have positioned it to increase its dominance in the $83B+ mapping sector of the global aerial intelligence market.”

He continued by saying, “As Wingtra continues to expand, we anticipate assisting the company in the United States and Latin America, which will be increasingly critical geographies.”

The drone that specializes in mapping and surveying and utilizes VTOL technology

In 2016, Maximilian Boosfeld, Basil Weibel, Elias Kleimann, and Sebastian Verling, young entrepreneurs, developed Wingtra at ETH Zurich’s Autonomous Systems Lab, which is one of the world’s top technology institutions.

Wingtra specializes in producing professional mapping drones and creating the software for fully automated operation. The WingtraPilot app manages the combined solution for quick, reliable, and precise aerial survey data gathering and processing.

These drones are assisting surveying professionals in industries such as infrastructure and construction, mining, environmental monitoring, agriculture and urban planning, and land management in digitizing their surrounding world.

The WingtraOne drone, the company’s signature drone, utilizes VTOL technology, making it possible for it to take off and land almost anywhere, even in cramped areas and on uneven ground, which makes data gathering extensive.

Currently, hundreds of organizations, including CEMEX, Rio Tinto, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Kenya Red Cross, use these drones. The drones have flown over 100,000 times annually and have scanned 18 million acres of land and ocean (equivalent to 13.6 million football fields).

Wingtra has about 200 employees and has offices in Zurich, Switzerland (headquarters), Fort Lauderdale, USA, and Zagreb, Croatia.

WingtraOne Gen II

Wingtra launched its second-generation drone, the WingtraOne Gen II, in 2021. It provides survey-grade 2D and 3D maps that enable users to make better data-driven decisions. The drone utilizes the best sensors from top-tier RGB cameras to produce 3D models, facilitating the creation of digital twins on a large scale. A single trip spanning over 100 hectares can be digitized at 0.5 in/px, which is 90% less expensive and up to 30 times quicker than terrestrial surveying.

According to Maximilian Boosfeld, “Our vision at Wingtra is to create a world where drones help people manage large parts of our planet more sustainably and efficiently. We have reduced the cost of adopting drone assets and increased data quality, enabling the industry to plan better and improve safety for humans and the environment.”

Wingtra’s drone provides accurate data collection and collaborates with partners to create solutions for various use cases their customers face. For example, the solution is used in all stages of the construction life cycle, from the concept phase to maintenance, repair, and operations. The same is true for agriculture, land management, and environmental protection. The company aims to continue innovating and providing easy-to-use solutions to solve future problems.

Strengthening the senior leadership team

Wingtra has added five new industry veterans to its senior leadership team, reinforcing its top leadership.

Marcos Bayuelo has been appointed as VP Product, joining from Hexagon AB, where he oversaw product development and innovation for the company’s mining division, resulting in a remarkable revenue growth of $12M to $60M in a single product portfolio.

Aleksandar Kostadinov comes in as VP Sales and Customer Success, bringing 20 years of experience in creating foreign sales partnerships and introducing Leica and Hexagon products to untapped markets.

Alberto Toledo has joined as GM in the US from Citrix, where he played a key role in boosting revenue from $4M to $25M in just three years.

Corinna de Maddalena has been appointed as VP People, bringing over 15 years of experience in leading HR functions in leading tech companies.

Marco Schicker has been named as COO, bringing insights and strengths as a three-time founder, and coming from Hilti AG where he handled the transformation of global teams.

According to Boosfeld, “Every one of these leaders has the right experience to take Wingtra forward. They have all successfully grown several organizations to the next level. With this funding round, the right people and market-leading product, we are well set to accelerate the company’s growth.”