It seems like just last week that the Oregon UAS Accelerator — you know, the drone and drone-adjacent startup support organization — was having their latest demo day. Well, that’s because it was last week. But now, they’ve announced a whole new class. So let’s look backward and forward in regards to the startups engaged with our world renowned drone accelerator program.
Spring 2025 cohort
“The energy, innovation, and collaboration on display at this year’s Showcase prove that Oregon is leading the way in UAS technology,” said Joseph Wyno, Executive Director of the Oregon UAS Accelerator. “Congratulations to all our cohort members and winners. We look forward to supporting their continued success and welcoming even more innovators to our ecosystem.”
Participating startups included:
- 3Autonomy LLC: Developing an NDAA-compliant utility quadrotor platform with a Modular Open Systems Architecture, focusing on reshoring critical supply chain components for the U.S. sUAS market.
- Accipiter Aeroworks: A Nevada-based company creating innovative solar-powered VTOL aircraft for long-duration missions. Their flagship product, the Gannet Solar-VTOL, has demonstrated the ability to traverse 50km over three days and two nights across multiple fly-land-recharge-fly cycles.
- DroneSpotter: Offering airspace awareness as a service through custom IoT hardware that tracks drone Remote ID signals, providing real-time and historical data via a cloud-based platform.
- Morgan Geospatial: A high-quality provider of private, commercial, and government/municipal aerial UAV/Drone services, including photography, video, mapping, geospatial analysis, agriculture, construction management, and utility inspection. The company is also developing a unique family of UAS airframes for enhanced performance and extended capabilities.
- Ziz Defense Company: Creating an AI-powered defense architecture for detecting and neutralizing UAV threats, combining acoustic triangulation and high-precision LiDAR technology.
Summer 2025 cohort
“This cohort represents the most promising collection of UAS technologies we’ve ever assembled,” said Joseph Wyno, Executive Director of the Oregon UAS Accelerator. “These four companies aren’t just building incremental improvements—they’re creating entirely new paradigms that will define the future of unmanned systems across multiple critical industries.”
Participating companies are:
- FlyX Technologies is pioneering the world’s first wireless power charging system for drones using existing powerline infrastructure, eliminating the need for costly charging stations and enabling unlimited flight range. Their proprietary electromagnetic field harvesting technology transforms powerlines into an aerial charging grid, offering 100 times better power-to-weight efficiency than traditional solutions. With a total addressable market of $200 billion and partnerships already established with Idaho National Laboratory and major utilities, FlyX is targeting $95 million in AI-as-a-Service revenue by 2029.
- FNN Aviation addresses the devastating $8 billion annual wildfire suppression challenge with their revolutionary Firebird Drone and SAFE (Suspended Autonomous Fire Extinguisher) system2. Their AI-powered solution can precisely target fires from high altitudes without fanning flames, operating in dense forests and urban environments where traditional methods fail. The system represents a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive fire response, potentially saving billions in annual damages and countless lives.
- Outer Rim Exploration (ORE) is transforming the $70 billion mineral exploration market with AI-enabled drone-based muon tomography, reducing typical exploration costs from $100 million to under $10 million per project. Their breakthrough technology cuts discovery time from five years to less than one year while achieving a 90% reduction in failed drilling attempts. With the global demand for critical minerals surging 400% by 2030 to meet net-zero targets, ORE’s solution addresses a critical supply chain bottleneck.
- Sentradel (formerly Hover Defense) delivers autonomous counter-drone systems targeting the rapidly expanding $20 billion global drone threat market. Their passive acoustic detection and AI-powered kinetic response technology provides 5-kilometer range protection for military bases, airports, and critical infrastructure. With applications spanning public safety, energy facilities, and national security, Sentradel addresses the urgent need for cost-effective drone defense as unauthorized UAV incidents continue to escalate.
What all do participating startups receive? I’m glad you asked:
Selected companies receive the Oregon UAS Accelerator’s comprehensive $165,000 benefit package, including a $40,000 non-dilutive grant, access to $75,000 worth of flight testing at the Pendleton UAS Test Range, expert mentorship, and regulatory support. The 12-week intensive program culminates with the Pendleton Investor Round-Up on September 10, 2025, coinciding with the world-famous Pendleton Round-Up Rodeo.
For more information, visit Oregon UAS Accelerator.
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