Autonomous drone startup SkyfireAI has raised $11 million to accelerate the development of its AI-native platform for coordinated multiship drone operations. Founded in 2022, SkyfireAI provides a platform for public safety, defense, and mission-critical organizations, enabling faster response times and expanded situational awareness without increasing operator workload.
The company's software foundation supports the full mission lifecycle, from planning and deployment to oversight. Unlike single-solution providers, SkyfireAI adopts a systems approach to autonomy, designed for the high-pressure, safety-critical realities of emergency response and defense.
"When seconds matter, teams need faster eyes on scene, better coordination and better information," said co-founder and CEO Don Mathis. "SkyfireAI is building AI-native autonomy that helps first responders, defense operators and other mission-critical teams deploy drones faster, manage more complex missions and ultimately protect more lives."
SkyfireAI collaborates with federal, state, and local public-safety agencies, as well as commercial clients and defense customers. Use cases include 911 response, critical-incident overwatch, medical delivery, event safety, and perimeter defense.
The seed funding round was led by Mucker Capital, with participation from AI Fund, SaaS Ventures, Halogen, Harvard Business School Alumni Angels, and New York Angels.