Sky-Futures

Sky-Futures provides drone-based inspection and survey services for clients in the oil and gas, renewables, marine, civil infrastructure, and telecommunications industries. Founded in 2009 by James Harrison, Chris Blackford, and Nick Rogers, the company pioneered the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for industrial inspections. The founders combined their expertise to address the market need for safer and more efficient asset inspection; Harrison had a background in strategy from Deloitte and military experience, Blackford served as COO, and Rogers, an aviation captain, focused on aviation training, procedures, and systems.

The company's core business revolves around deploying advanced visual and remote sensing technologies to deliver real-time data, enabling clients to make informed decisions about asset integrity. Their services include visual inspections, gas emission detection, remote non-destructive testing (NDT), and advanced 3D modeling. Sky-Futures reports that its drone inspections are up to 85% faster and more cost-effective than traditional methods, as they reduce the need for infrastructure shutdowns and minimize direct human exposure to hazardous environments. The firm's business model includes providing end-to-end services, from training and flight planning to data collection and analysis via a secure, cloud-based software platform called Expanse.

Over its history, Sky-Futures has achieved significant milestones, including raising over $13.5 million in funding from investors like MMC Ventures, Bristow Group, and Mitsui & Co. In May 2019, the company was acquired by ICR Integrity, a global provider of integrated maintenance and integrity solutions backed by Graphite Capital. This acquisition was intended to combine ICR's technical services with Sky-Futures' drone operations to create a distinctly differentiated market offering. The company operates globally, with experience in over 45 countries and possessing national aviation authority permissions from bodies including the CAA, FAA, and EASA.

Keywords: UAS inspection, drone inspection services, industrial asset management, oil and gas inspection, renewables inspection, infrastructure inspection, telecommunications inspection, remote sensing, data analytics, non-destructive testing, unmanned aerial vehicles, confined space inspection, 3D modeling, asset integrity, predictive maintenance, remote survey solutions, drone data collection, cloud software platform, civil infrastructure, marine services