Norwegian listed drone company joins DroneMatrix
DroneMatrix, the leading Belgian provider of automated drones, and Norwegian Nordic Unmanned, the world leader in industrial drone applications, are going to be working very closely together. To this end, Nordic Unmanned is stepping into the capital of DroneMatrix as a shareholder alongside the founders, the Hasselt family Vanwelkenhuyzen. The partnership gives Nordic Unmanned the opportunity to further expand its global presence. “For DroneMatrix, this means a capital injection that enables us to realise our ambitious plans at an accelerated pace,” says CEO Lander Vanwelkenhuyzen.
The signing of the agreement took place on Thursday, 12 May 2022. The signing was preceded by thorough negotiations. “It was important to us that we, as current shareholders and management, could retain control and a high degree of autonomy. This will benefit the growth of DroneMatrix and will enable us to quickly scale up and expedite the international roll-out of the applications within the framework of the 6th NeTWorK.”
In order to achieve this growth, DroneMatrix will work on further developing a team of highly qualified specialists in Belgium. In this context, DroneMatrix has opened vacancies for software developers, ICT electronics engineers, project managers, customer support staff, and financial specialists.
Motivation
According to Lander Vanwelkenhuyzen, the drone industry is at an important turning point. “The sector is maturing. This results in large projects in industrial areas and within international operations. DroneMatrix provides multi-use drone networks in various public infrastructures where the initiator, as first mover, designs a clear, long-term development plan. For example, this includes our close cooperation with Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and our activities in city centres. Within that context, we offer a drone network where end users acquire the results and data from the drone operations in a smooth, simple way. To ensure optimal operation, DroneMatrix relies on a network of ‘standby’ multifunctional drones and an open drone service platform. At the same time, we also see an increased demand from private infrastructures where the ‘buy & operate yourself’ formula is preferred….”
DroneMatrix is ready to scale
In order to achieve its lofty ambitions, DroneMatrix relies on a very mature technology developed in-house in the field of drone-in-a-box (YACOB) and drone service software platform (6th NeTWorK), putting DroneMatrix in the top 3 worldwide in this specific niche.
DroneMatrix has reached a number of important milestones in recent years:
Successful completion of complex research and development projects in cooperation with various universities and colleges
Global implementations of its drone-in-a-box called YACOB
‘Most innovative company of the year’ in 2021 awarded by VOKA
6th NeTWorK partnership with SkeyDrone (Skeyes) & Proximus
Award of a drone-as-a-service tender for Port of Antwerp-Bruges (first large-scale 6th NeTWorK implementation called D-Hive)
According to Lander Vanwelkenhuyzen, DroneMatrix is now ready for a partnership with a solid, like-minded, and ambitious business partner. “In this way, we are able to achieve the promising opportunities and enable future ambitious growth plans that require funding and growth capital. In this context, DroneMatrix has found a sustainable cooperation with Nordic Unmanned, the world leader in drone systems and services, with operational experience in over 13 countries.”
DroneMatrix sees a host of new opportunities arising from this partnership, such as:
o
Synergies through a common growth strategy
o Geographical spread across Europe with independent hubs
o Access to funds by listed shareholder
o Utilising Nordic Unmanned’s experience in implementing complex drone operations worldwide
o Nordic Unmanned has a strong aviation regulatory compliance department that can support DroneMatrix
o Nordic Unmanned’s extensive fleet provides opportunities for DroneMatrix to offer these solutions to existing and new customers
Deal structure
Signed on Thursday 12/05/2022
Deal value of approximately €5 mln
Nordic Unmanned joins DroneMatrix as shareholder alongside the Vanwelkenhuyzen family
Founder Frank Vanwelkenhuyzen & CEO Lander Vanwelkenhuyzen remain responsible for DroneMatrix