Skydio Stops Selling Consumer Drones to Focus on Enterprise and Public Sector Customers

Drone News

by Francesco AndreolaAugust 11^th, 2023

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In an open letter signed by CEO Adam Bry, drone manufacturer Skydio recently announced that they are officially discontinuing sales to consumer customers to focus on enterprise and public sector clients. The company will continue to provide support for existing Skydio 2 and 2+ owners.

Founded in 2014 by 3 MIT students, California-based startup Skydio truly is a pioneer in the world of autonomous drone technology. In 2018, after 4 years of R&D, the company launched a self-flying, AI-powered, 4K-capable drone – the Skydio R1 – thus taking its first major step into the consumer drone market.

Packed with advanced features such as subject tracking and obstacle avoidance, the R1 was soon followed by the more advanced Skydio 2 – which was eventually replaced by the Skydio 2+ at the beginning of last year.

Skydio sunsets consumer business

All good things come to an end – including Skydio’s offerings for consumer customers. Indeed, the company has decided to fully devote its resources to the enterprise and public sector markets. Over the years, Skydio introduced interesting features for videographers, such as their Keyframe pre-programmed flight mode. So it’s quite a pity to see them go.

“Our drones are making the core industries that our civilization runs on – public safety, transportation, energy, construction, and defense – safer and more efficient. And it’s becoming more and more clear every day that we need trusted, secure drones to meet these critical applications. The impact we’re having with our enterprise and public sector customers has become so compelling that it demands nothing less than our full focus and attention.”

Adam Bry, CEO at Skydio

As a result, the company will immediately stop selling their Skydio 2+ Starter, Sports, Cinema, or Pro kits to the consumer market, while their Skydio 2+ Enterprise kit will remain available for enterprise and public sector customers.

However, this doesn’t mean Skydio is turning their back on their loyal consumer customers altogether. Indeed, the company will keep providing software and customer support to anyone who purchased a Skydio 2 or 2+. Moreover, they will continue offering spare parts – such as batteries, propellers, and controllers – via their online shop.

For more information, please visit Skydio’s website here.

Have you ever flown one of Skydio’s autonomous drones? What do you think about the company’s decision to focus merely on other industries? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!