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Censys Technologies
Daytona Beach, US · Founded 2017 · Delaware corporation · 48 employees on LinkedIn · 6 known investors
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Censys Technologies designs and manufactures fixed-wing VTOL drones, dock systems, and AI-powered edge computing platforms for autonomous inspection of critical infrastructure, primarily serving utilities and energy providers for power line monitoring and vegetation management.
Founders & leadership
Censys Technologies was founded in 2017 by John Lobdell, Trevor Perrott, and Payal Chaudhari.
Board
Investors · 6
How we know: press coverage · research · censystech.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Kirenaga Partners's portfolio page · a partner's Signal profile · board seat on SEC Form D · funding news · press coverage · research · censystech.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: offering press articles · Not right? Tell us
How we know: offering press articles · Not right? Tell us
How we know: offering press articles · Not right? Tell us
How we know: offering press articles · Not right? Tell us
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$74.7M disclosed across 5 of 7 rounds · 2018–2026
- $70MraisedMar 2026Source ↗
▶$500KraisedMay 2026 · 3 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Noel HeiksDirector
- John LobdellExecutive Officer, Director
- David ScalzoDirector
- Trevor PerrottExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $5M
- Amount sold
- $500K
- First sale
- Apr 2026
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1MraisedApr 2023 · 1 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Noel HeiksDirector
- Trevor W PerrottExecutive Officer, Director
- David ScalzoDirector
- John LobdellExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $9M
- Amount sold
- $1M
- First sale
- Mar 2023
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.6MraisedJan 2022 · 4 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- John LobdellExecutive Officer, Director
- Trevor W PerrottExecutive Officer, Director
- David ScalzoDirector
- Noel HeiksDirector
- Payal ChaudhariExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $4.8M
- Amount sold
- $1.6M
- First sale
- Dec 2021
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2017
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.6MraisedJul 2020 · 10 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Payal ChaudhariExecutive Officer, Director
- Trevor W PerrottExecutive Officer, Director
- David ScalzoDirector
- John LobdellExecutive Officer, Director
- Noel HeiksDirector
- Offering amount
- $2M
- Amount sold
- $1.6M
- First sale
- Jul 2020
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Florida, 2017
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶Undisclosed amountofferedOct 2018 · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Payal ChaudhariExecutive Officer, Director
- David BattenExecutive Officer
- John LobdellExecutive Officer, Director
- Trevor PerrottExecutive Officer, Director
- Minimum investment
- $100K
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Florida, 2017
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Censys Technologies was founded in 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida (near Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with which it has an ongoing talent/training partnership) by Trevor Perrott (CEO), John Lobdell (CTO), and Payal Chaudhari (Chief Administrative Officer). From early on the company focused on fixed-wing, long-endurance drones capable of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight -- a harder-to-obtain FAA regulatory capability that lets a single aircraft cover tens of miles of linear infrastructure (power lines, pipelines, coastlines, roadways) per flight without a spotter. The company built a track record of BVLOS 'firsts' (a 12-mile commercial BVLOS flight in 2022, a 30-mile true-BVLOS flight in 2024) and now says it holds more than 85 FAA-approved BVLOS waivers, which it markets as a core competitive moat.
In July 2022 Censys closed an oversubscribed $8.3 million Series A round (originally targeted at $8 million), led by Kirenaga Partners -- an early-stage VC that had also led Censys's seed round -- with participation from Collective Capital Ventures. The capital was earmarked to help the company evolve from a 'drone company' into an 'airborne intelligence company,' investing in manufacturing capacity, imaging/data-processing/machine-learning capability, and progress toward FAA Type Certification. That same period the company also won an EPA SBIR Phase I award (Dec. 2022) and briefly showed a defense-oriented counter-UAS product, the 'Slayer Kinetic Killer' (debuted at AUVSI, Nov. 2022).
The product line has evolved from the Sentaero (and Sentaero 5, unveiled Feb. 2024) to the current flagship Sentaero 6 (unveiled Feb. 2025) -- a fixed-wing VTOL aircraft rated for roughly 2 hours of endurance, ~90 miles of range, and a 43 lb max takeoff weight, carrying interchangeable high-end payloads (61MP Sony ILX-LR1 RGB, GeoCue TrueView 540 LiDAR, YellowScan Mapper+, NextVision Raptor 360 EO/IR gimbal, PhaseOne GS-120, Altum PT multispectral). Alongside the aircraft, Censys sells the CensWise AI/ML platform, which turns raw sensor data (drone, satellite, vehicle-mounted) into asset-intelligence dashboards integrated with utility GIS/SCADA/EAM/OMS systems, and Mobile Intelligence Center vehicles that serve as field command hubs for BVLOS operations.
Business model
Hardware + software + services: sells/leases fixed-wing VTOL BVLOS drones (Sentaero line), the CensWise AI/ML analytics platform, mobile intelligence center vehicles, and offers Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) and FAA Part 107/BVLOS waiver consulting services.
Hardware sales/leasing of drones and dock/mobile-command systems, subscription/software fees for CensWise (tiered plans from roughly $3K/month), and services revenue from DaaS operations and FAA waiver consulting.
▸Full profile — profile (continued), go-to-market, ownership
Profile (continued)
A major strategic milestone came in October 2025, when Censys announced a national-scale partnership with STRIXDRONES USA to integrate the Sentaero 6 with Strix's 'EdgeDock' -- a rugged, weatherproof autonomous docking/charging station -- creating a persistent, remote launch-and-recover 'drone-in-a-box'-style inspection network. Utility customer American Electric Power (AEP, specifically AEP Texas) was cited as having committed millions of dollars in preorders for the combined system, with first deployments targeted for late 2025. Other named customers/partners over the company's history include American Water (BVLOS waiver partnership, 2022-23), the Ohio Department of Transportation, the State of Minnesota (drone-solutions state contract, 2025), the University of North Dakota (Project RuralReach), and reseller/partner Soaring Eagle Technologies.
As of mid-2026, Censys Technologies (per LinkedIn) has roughly 11-50 employees and continues to publish a steady cadence of technical/industry content (BVLOS regulation, Part 108 rulemaking, wildfire-mitigation economics, utility-inspection ROI) positioning itself against both traditional manual/helicopter inspection methods and other autonomous-inspection/drone-in-a-box vendors such as Skydio, Percepto, and American Robotics/Ondas. No evidence was found in this research connecting the company to Greylock Partners; its disclosed institutional backers remain Kirenaga Partners and Collective Capital Ventures.
Go-to-market
Electric and water utilities, state departments of transportation, government/public-safety agencies, agriculture, and other critical-infrastructure operators requiring long-range BVLOS aerial data collection.
Ownership
private
Compiled by commissioned research from 10 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Related companies · 5
Companies working in the same space as Censys Technologies.
Customers & partners
Named customers · 5
Relationships the company or its partners disclosed publicly — case studies, joint announcements, press.
Non-dilutive funding · 1 SBIR/STTR award
Federal grants — no equity taken| Agency | Phase | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Phase I | 2023 | $99.4K |
Source: SBIR.gov award data (U.S. Small Business Administration). SBIR/STTR awards are competitive federal R&D grants and contracts — non-dilutive capital alongside any venture rounds above.
Timeline · 9
launches, deals, and filingsCensys and STRIXDRONES USA announced a national-scale partnership integrating the Sentaero 6 with Strix's EdgeDock autonomous docking station to create a persistent, remote launch-and-recover inspection network; utility American Electric Power (AEP Texas) cited as committing millions in preorders.
Censys introduced the Sentaero 6, its current flagship long-range VTOL BVLOS aircraft.
Censys Technologies unveiled the Sentaero 5 drone, its next-generation BVLOS aircraft at the time.
Censys operated a 30-mile BVLOS flight without visual observers using the Sentaero 5.
Censys awarded an EPA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award for remote sensing of fugitive emissions.
Censys debuted a counter-UAS ('Slayer Kinetic Killer') drone at the 59th Annual AUVSI conference.
Censys closed an oversubscribed Series A funding round at $8.3 million (target was $8 million), led by Kirenaga Partners with participation from Collective Capital Ventures.
Company announced a new commercial BVLOS flight covering 12 miles, described as the longest distance then allowed by the FAA for the Sentaero.
Censys Technologies founded in Daytona Beach, Florida by Trevor Perrott, John Lobdell, and Payal Chaudhari.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 10
primary sources listed
- Building Trust in American Skies. One Mission at a Time.Censys Technologies · blog
- Censys and STRIXDRONES Forge Partnership to Redefine Grid Inspections at ScaleCensys Technologies · press release
- $8 Million in Series A Round SecuredCensys Technologies · press release
- Censys Technologies - Home PageCensys Technologies · company website
- About Censys TechnologiesCensys Technologies · company website
- News - Censys TechnologiesCensys Technologies · blog
- Censys | GreylockGreylock Partners · investor website
- Kirenaga PartnersKirenaga Partners · investor website
10 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Censys Technologies do?
- US-built long-range intelligence from the air
- Who founded Censys Technologies?
- Censys Technologies was founded by John Lobdell, Trevor Perrott, Payal Chaudhari in 2017.
- Who are Censys Technologies's investors?
- Censys Technologies's investors include Collective Capital Ventures, Kirenaga Partners, Decibel Partners, Greylock Partners, GV (Google Ventures), Intel Capital.
- How much funding has Censys Technologies raised?
- Censys Technologies has disclosed $74.7M raised across 5 of its 7 known rounds.
- Where is Censys Technologies headquartered?
- Censys Technologies is headquartered in Daytona Beach, US.