/Companies

Cleo Robotics

Techstars '19

Boston, US · Founded 2018 · 7 employees on LinkedIn · 2 known investors

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Cleo Robotics manufactures compact, fully-enclosed drones (Dronut DD1) designed for safe operation near people and sensitive equipment in GPS-denied and low-light environments. The company serves industrial inspection, defense, and emergency response applications.

Also known as Cleo Robotics, Inc.

Founders & leadership

Cleo Robotics was founded in 2018 by Omar Eleryan.

OE
Omar EleryanFounder · Chief Executive OfficerOmar Eleryan is co-founder and CEO of Cleo Robotics, which develops robotic systems for industrial inspection and hazardous environments. He studied engineering and spent his early career in the oil and gas industry before founding the company to address safety challenges in infrastructure inspection.

Investors · 2

Techstarslisted by TechstarsBoulder · $220K

How we know: the Techstars portfolio · funding news · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us

Company profile

researched Sep 2026

Cleo Robotics, Inc. develops and manufactures the Dronut DD1, a compact unmanned aerial vehicle with fully enclosed propellers intended for flight indoors, in tight or confined spaces, and in GPS-denied environments. The airframe is small enough to be held in the palm of the hand and is described as ruggedized against impacts, dust and debris. Onboard autonomy and a sensor suite allow operation in low-light conditions without GPS connectivity, with stable flight and precise position hold in complex interior spaces. The aircraft supports real-time low-latency HD video streaming as well as 4K video and LiDAR recording for downstream inspection and analysis.

The system ships with a ground controller featuring an 8-inch, 1920 x 1200 px touchscreen, 720p live feeds from four cameras, 3.5 km radio range, two-axis joysticks and an anodized aluminum body. The company positions the DD1 as the successor to the Dronut X1 Pro, citing improved survivability, increased camera coverage, enhanced autonomy and stability, USB-C charging, longer flight time and twice the radio range. Cleo Robotics states the product is engineered and manufactured in the United States and is NDAA compliant.

The company addresses two stated solution areas, industrial and government. Industrial use cases include inspection of storage tanks, pressure vessels and silos; flight through large ducts, flues and utility conduits to check for blockages, leaks or degradation; preventative maintenance data collection; and access to hazardous or hard-to-reach spaces without scaffolding, climbing or confined-space entry.

Business model

Cleo Robotics sells the Dronut DD1 drone system together with its ground controller as hardware, with an online "Order Now" path and a direct sales contact channel (sales@cleorobotics.com, +1 888-878-3778).

▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history

Market position

The company emphasizes fully enclosed propellers for operation near people and sensitive equipment, a palm-sized form factor for access to spaces other drones cannot reach, autonomy that does not depend on GPS or ambient light, and US-based engineering and manufacturing with NDAA compliance.

Technology

A fully enclosed-propeller drone airframe combined with an onboard autonomy stack and sensor suite enabling flight and precise position hold in low-light, GPS-denied interiors. Payloads include real-time HD video streaming plus 4K video and LiDAR recording. The paired ground controller provides an 8-inch 1920 x 1200 touchscreen, 720p live feeds from four cameras, 3.5 km radio range and two-axis joysticks in an anodized aluminum housing.

Go-to-market

Direct online ordering and an inbound sales enquiry form that segments prospects by use case (inspections, defense, law enforcement) and by discovery channel including search, tradeshows, YouTube, LinkedIn and referrals.

Industrial operators requiring asset inspection, preventative maintenance and access to hazardous or confined spaces, plus government, defense and law enforcement users; the company's contact form lists inspections, defense and law enforcement as use cases.

Geography

Offices at 12 Channel St, Suite 202, Boston, MA 02210, United States; products are made and assembled in the USA.

History

The product line evolved from the Dronut X1 Pro to the current Dronut DD1, which adds improved survivability, increased camera coverage, enhanced autonomy and stability, USB-C charging, longer flight time and double the radio range.

Compiled by commissioned research from 5 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Ground controller display resolutionJan 20251920 x 1200 px
Ground controller radio rangeJan 20253.5 km
Ground controller touchscreen sizeJan 20258 inches
Live video feeds on controllerJan 2025720p live feeds from 4 cameras

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Related companies · 4

Companies working in the same space as Cleo Robotics.

Timeline · 1

launches, deals, and filings
Jan 2025
Dronut DD1 offered for order, succeeding Dronut X1 Pro

Cleo Robotics lists the Dronut DD1 for order, describing it as the evolution of the Dronut X1 Pro with improved survivability, increased camera coverage, enhanced autonomy and stability, USB-C charging, increased flight time and 2x radio range.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

▸Research sources · 5

primary sources listed

5 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Cleo Robotics do?
Cleo Robotics makes the Dronut DD1, a palm-sized enclosed-propeller drone for indoor, confined-space and GPS-denied inspection.
Who founded Cleo Robotics?
Cleo Robotics was founded by Omar Eleryan in 2018.
Who are Cleo Robotics's investors?
Cleo Robotics's investors include Bantam Group, Techstars.
Where is Cleo Robotics headquartered?
Cleo Robotics is headquartered in Boston, US.