Velos Rotors Raises $2M Seed Round to Scale Production of Helicopter UAV

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

UAV manufacturer Velos Rotors, Inc. has announced the completion of a $2 million seed round by Marathon Venture Capital. The investment will enable Velos to scale its manufacturing capacity in order to meet the rapidly growing demand for its trailblazing flying machines.

The widespread adoption of drones has been somewhat stymied due to certain shortcomings of the widely used multicopter design. While the thrust an aerial vehicle produces is proportional to the surface of its propeller, multicopters employ multiple small propellers that each cover a small surface, expending large amounts of energy.

Velos has developed a new UAV making use of a helicopter design. This twin-engine model offers industry-leading redundancy, lessened noise and vibration, and increased efficiency and performance.

The company’s full-electric, sub 55 lbs UAVs is able to reliably carry a 13 lb payload for 60 minutes at 35 MPH in nearly any weather condition (IP65), enabling a range of new possible applications.

Velos is providing specialized, end-to-end solutions for a variety of use cases across logistics, medical supplies, inspections and government applications, including human organs transportation, blood samples, border patrol, search & rescue and large-scale surveying missions. The company has already delivered dozens of drone helicopters worldwide, which have amassed thousands of flying hours.

“We crafted from the ground up what we are proving to be the best UAV in the market,” said Velos founder and CTO Aris Kolokythas. “Our drone helicopters are pushing aviation forward and we are excited to put them in the hands of more enterprise customers globally.”

“We are proud to serve our global customer base with our superior performance, reliability, and safety,” said Velos CEO and US Navy veteran Michael Seal. “The investment from Marathon Venture Capital will enable us to bring our product line to market faster and make a meaningful impact on the industries we serve.”

“Multicopters are for hobbyists. The market needs industrial-grade UAVs, and Velos is the first to deliver them,” said Marathon Venture Capital partner George Tziralis. “We are thrilled to work together with Aris, Michael and team to bring meaningful innovation to the market. Plus, if you are into aviation and want to make an impact with your work, Velos is the place to be!”

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Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.