At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Founder operating in the Drones space. If you think a Founder is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Alex Caccia
Co-Founder & CEO of Animal Dynamics
An entrepreneur with start-up experience in, media, technology, manufacturing and a background in finance and investment banking. After a career in the City as a fund manager, and subsequently in investment banking, Alex founded a successful sports equipment business called WaterRower Ltd. In 1999 Alex joined Sportal, a European dotcom start-up, where he was head of advanced technology development. In 2003 Alex was involved in forming The Cloud (WiFi Aggregator, sold to Sky in 2010). From 2005-2010 Alex was CEO of Marmalade Technology Ltd, a leading mobile applications cross platform software SDK. In 2012, Alex founded an exercise technology business called Muoverti Ltd.
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About Animal Dynamics, iNeed: Animal Dynamics is a spinout company from the Department of Zoology at University of Oxford
Adrian Thomas
Co-Founder & CSO of Animal Dynamics
Adrian Thomas is Professor of Biomechanics in the Zoology Department of Oxford University, where he founded and runs the animal flight research group. Other roles include aerodynamics and design consultancy with Gin Gliders, where he is a sponsored team pilot, and at the FAI (the World Air Sports Federation) where he is Chairman of the Paragliding committee. Key areas of study include Biomechanics, Aerodynamics and Evolution: using aerodynamic theory to predict optimal morphologies for specific aspects of flight ecology (flight missions), and test the predictions with phylogenetically controlled comparative methods, with mechanical model organisms, and with free-flying or swimming animals in the laboratory, or in the field.
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About Animal Dynamics, Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford: Animal Dynamics is a spinout company from the Department of Zoology at University of Oxford
Theo Pape
Founder, CEO of DRONEWORK
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About DRONEWORK, Flickreel: DRONEWORK is a drone mission matching platform for professional drone operators.
Richard Grogan
Founder & Executive Chairman of Zenaura
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About Zenaura: Zenaura is a IoT controlled home fragrance with aspirational design.
Simon Sassoon
Founder of Zenaura
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About Zenaura: Zenaura is a IoT controlled home fragrance with aspirational design.
Petter Neby
Founder and CEO of Punkt. Tronics
Petter Neby is a Norwegian technology entrepreneur. Mr. Neby launched his first business in Norway in 1989, at the age of seventeen, and in 1991 moved to Paris, to work for an international consumer electronics company. Innovation and creativity has led Mr. Neby to find and manage successful businesses in the telecommunications, enterprise software and website areas. Mr. Neby created Punkt. in 2008 to offer straightforward alternatives to multi-function devices that started to dominate the consumer electronic marketplace.
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About Punkt. Tronics: Punkt. is a Swiss design led technology company that aims to make life simpler by creating timeless and outstanding products
Mauro Pasta
Co-Founder of Cuberg
Co-Founder of Cuberg.
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About University of Oxford: Cuberg is a company delivering lithium metal cells produced on existing lithium-ion manufacturing lines for electromobility solutions.
Ming Kong
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TG0
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About TG0: TG0 is an R&D start-up creating novel 3D controls.
Harry Howe
Co-Founder & CEO of Dronestream
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About Apian, Dronestream: Dronestream is a platform that allows drone pilots to collaborate with their organisation remotely, from anywhere in the world.
Daniela Menzky
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of Angoka
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About Angoka, Auto Clubs International, CyNation, CyNation: ANGOKA is an IoT security company focused on protecting machine-to-machine communications for Smart Cities and Mobility.
Shadi Razak
Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Angoka
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About Angoka, CyNation: ANGOKA is an IoT security company focused on protecting machine-to-machine communications for Smart Cities and Mobility.
Stefan Leutenegger
Co-Founder of SLAMcore
Stefan is a Lecturer in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London. His research is focused on autonomous robot navigation: robots need dedicated sensing capabilities as well as algorithms for localisation within a potentially unknown environment. This includes localisation and mapping with a suite of sensors, most importantly cameras, to be processed efficiently to yield accurate results in real-time. In the past, he has mostly worked with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), in order to allow them to fly autonomously and close to the ground. He received a BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich in 2006, 2008, respectively, and a PhD in 2014, working at the Autonomous Systems Lab of ETH Zurich on Unmanned Solar Airplanes: Design and Algorithms for Efficient and Robust Autonomous Operation.
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About SLAMcore: SLAMcore provides location, mapping and perception software for robots and other autonomous machines to become spatially intelligent
Owen Nicholson
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of SLAMcore
Over a decade of experience in early stage R&D management working on both UK government and industry research portfolios. Successfully delivered technologies in a wide range of areas including UK augmented reality for the UK Special Forces, next generation nuclear submarines and domestic electronics. Worked for four years building and managing the University Research Programme for a leading global engineering company, transferring technologies from top research institutions around the world. Specialised in the strategic and commercial aspects of technology development acting as an advisor to the UK government on university technology transfer.
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About SLAMcore: SLAMcore provides location, mapping and perception software for robots and other autonomous machines to become spatially intelligent
Jacek Zienkiewicz
Co-Founder & VP of Engineering of SLAMcore
Jacek’s background is in robotics and sensing. He achieved a Master’s Degree in Control Engineering and Robotics, specialising in motion planning algorithms for autonomous vehicles. After five years developing novel laser-based distance measurement algorithms and software for SICK AG, he moved to London to pursue his research interests. He earned his PhD with the Robot Vision Group at the Department of Computing, Imperial College London. His research aims to develop a dense visual perception system suitable for mobile robot navigation and guidance.
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About SLAMcore: SLAMcore provides location, mapping and perception software for robots and other autonomous machines to become spatially intelligent
Andrew Davison
Co-Founder of SLAMcore
Andrew is Professor of Robot Vision at the Department of Computing, Imperial College London and leads Imperial’s Robot Vision Research Group. He has spent 20 years conducting pioneering research in visual SLAM, with a particular emphasis on methods that work in real-time with commodity cameras. He has developed and collaborated on breakthrough SLAM systems including MonoSLAM and KinectFusion, and his research contributions have over 15,000 academic citations. He also has extensive experience of collaborating with industry on the application of SLAM methods to real products.
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About SLAMcore: SLAMcore provides location, mapping and perception software for robots and other autonomous machines to become spatially intelligent
Richard Parker
Founder & CEO of Altitude Angel
Richard is the Founder & CEO of Altitude Angel. He created the company in December 2014, with a singular vision: integrate drones into the airspace, safely, using cloud technology. An experienced software engineer, Richard has a deep technical background with both software and electrical engineering expertise and is currently training to become a private pilot, too.
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About Altitude Angel: Altitude Angel makes drones safer by providing the data and cloud services needed to safely unlock their potential.
Paul Rigby
Board Director and Founder of Consortiq
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About Consortiq: Consortiq is a global market leader of bespoke drone solutions.
Somesh Selvachandran
Co-Founder & CTO of Magpie Education
Somesh built electronic trading systems for Morgan Stanley, before leaving to co-found Innovate My Curriculum and Talking Circles. He enjoys pouring his passion for computing into projects to help teachers in the classroom and get more kids coding.
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About Magpie Education: Magpie Education is Creating curriculum tools for teachers to inspire the next generation of STEM Innovators.
Michael Dewhirst
CEO | Founder of Evolve Dynamics
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About Evolve Dynamics, Match2One: UAV innovations company, working on computer vision, AI autopilot systems, long flight solutions and rapid ready-to-fly/deploy platforms.
Kirill Shilov
Founder & CEO of Sky-Drones
Kirill Shilov – Founder / CEO Sky-Drones, holds his MSc degree with honours in Aerospace Engineering, majoring in Flight Dynamics and Control and BSc degree with honours in Applied Math and Physics. Kirill has extensive scientific, engineering and business experience. Before starting Sky-Drones full time Kirill was engineer at Autonomous Control Systems Lab in Tokyo, Japan and Perspective Robotics GmbH in Zürich, Switzerland.
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About Sky-Drones: We accelerate the development and adoption of commercial drones for enterprise by building connected hardware and software products.
Andre Ferreira
Co-Founder and COO of Airstoc
Andre Ferreira is the Co-founder and COO of Airstoc.
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About Airstoc: Airstoc is the world’s first dedicated marketplace for the professional drone industry.
Robert Garbett
Founder & Chief Executive of Drone Major Group
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About Drone Major Group: Drone Major Group delivers a range of advisory services focussed around the rapidly growing drone industry.
Ridha Azaiz
Founder of Aerial Power
Ridha Azaiz is Founder at Aerial Power.
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About Aerial Power: Aerial Power is developing UAV’s for the cleaning of solar panels, mirrors, and windows.
Nigel Gifford
Founder and Chairman of Windhorse Aerospace
Nigel Gifford OBE CP Eng.(Aero) Chairman / Founder Windhorse Aerospace Nigel is best described as an eclectic solutions architect ~ drawing on skills, practical experience, and research acquired at different times of his life. It is from his aeronautical, skydiving and catering background he conceived the Pouncer(tm) food carrying AV that is also made of edible components. Presently, using his specialist knowledge in feeding in non-human environments, Nigel is working to get Pouncer(tm) into service with his team, and is working in the critical food technology area to ensure that the food cargo and edible structure are fit for purpose on deployment as first response into disaster areas Biography Brought up in a busy restaurant, and then trained as a chef at the Army School of Catering, Nigel has extensive knowledge of differing styles of cuisine. This includes feeding explorers and adventurers in remote and hostile environments, as well as cooking at 26,000ft on Mt Everest in 1976. He wrote the present Royal Geographical Society catering manual and his advice is still sought for extreme expeditions. As an aerospace solutions architect Nigel has designed equipment for UK Special Forces, and built protective equipment housings for the RAF Tornado. In 1991 he designed a special camera platform for the first ever hot air balloon flight at 33,000ft over Mt Everest and worked on Sir Richard Branson’s round the world balloon project advising on the small capsule’s internal ergonomic layout, feeding, and the living routines for the crew confined inside. Prior to Windhorse, he was Managing Director of the Ascenta™ – The high-altitude, long-endurance, unmanned aerial vehicle acquired by Facebook in 2014 to provide Internet access into the developing world. The aircraft has since been renamed Aquila by Facebook.
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About Windhorse Aerospace: Windhorse Aerospace has created the world’s first purpose-built UAV/Drone intended for humanitarian aid delivery – POUNCER.
Paul Fischer
Co_Founder of ImagineAir
Paul Fischer, M.D. A graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Dr. Fischer’s interest in small aircraft travel began over a decade ago when he realized its potential for dramatically simplifying business and leisure travel. As a cofounder, he brings years of business and entrepreneurial experience to ImagineAir, having been the CEO and founding partner for the Center for Primary Care, PC, Primary Care Properties, LLC, and several other successful companies during his career.
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About ImagineAir: ImagineAir offers personal air taxi services.
Claire Owen
Co-Founder of DronePrep
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About DronePrep, Loop Software: Preparing the world for a future with Drones – through our tech & consultancy services we offer insight into low-level airspace utlisation.
Matthew Bradley
Co-Founder & CEO of Flyte Technologies
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About Flyte Technologies: Flight planning software for commercial drone pilots
Kerr MacKinnon
Co-Founder & COO of Flyte Technologies
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About Flyte Technologies: Flight planning software for commercial drone pilots
Ashley Widowson
Founder of AJ-Drone Ltd
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About AJ-Drone Ltd: AJ-Drone Ltd is a photography and videography business.
Dominic Kelly
Founder & Director of DroneOps
Dominic is a founding member and Director of DroneOps. His role is to support the executive team through business development. DroneOps Ltd has its origins in its sister company CBRNE Ltd where it was realised small unmanned aviation systems could integrate chemical and radiological sensors. This concept is being validated through European Union funded Framework Programme 7 research projects and proposed Horizon 2020 projects in which Dominic Kelly has many years’ experience. DroneOps Ltd has expanded the original concept to include operations across military, security, emergency, industrial and civilian activities where the company is active in providing assistance.
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About DroneOps: DroneOps specialising in the commercial application of Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) and robotics.
Greg Chivers
Co-Founder & Director of Lunar Aerial Imaging
Greg started out in Australia with a degree in naval architecture and marine engineering. From tug boat engineer to captain of luxury yachts, Greg has sailed around the world. During this time he honed his photography, video and editing skills with specialist courses on the west coast of California. Greg is proficient in hand-held and underwater video and is a yachting community prize-winner for two videos. He assembled and flew his first drone on California beaches in 2011, where he fell in love with what the drone could capture. He saw the potential and so mastered his drone flying skills. In 2015 he took to land life in the UK and completed his formal UAV training to set up the drone business Lunar Aerial Imaging.
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About Lunar Aerial Imaging: LUNAR Aerial Imaging creates compelling imagery using drones.
Cosima Pole
Founder/Director/Designer of Creature Clothes Ltd.
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About Creature Clothes Ltd.: Dog and Cat Collars, Beds and accessories. Designed and made by hand in the UK
Rus Turner
Founder & Owner of Cloudbase Aerial Art
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About Cloudbase Aerial Art: Cloudbase Aerial Art produce a range of aerial media for many different applications.
