DroneAdair

DroneAdair is a Wisconsin-based software company founded in 2020 as a spinout of Midwest Aerial Productions, a drone-pilot marketplace started in 2016 by founder Cody Retlich. Its original product was described as an end-to-end sales and marketing automation platform: a two-sided SaaS offering that lets independent drone pilots automate and scale their businesses through on-demand booking and customizable data sets, together with an enterprise component allowing companies that use drone services to manage internal pilots, book jobs, and customize and analyze mission data.

Under the DroneAdair AI brand, the company positions itself as an AI implementation partner for drone operators, service companies and drone-reliant industries rather than a generic AI agency, citing operator domain experience with FAA compliance, client deliverables and fleet maintenance. Published service lines include a two-to-three week AI operations audit producing a prioritized automation roadmap with ROI estimates; custom AI automation builds such as automated flight log processing, AI dispatch and scheduling, and predictive maintenance alerts; computer-vision inspection deployments that detect defects and damage on solar panels, rooftops, power lines, infrastructure and agricultural fields with auto-generated reports; compliance and reporting automation covering FAA Part 107 documentation, LAANC authorization tracking and mission logs; and integration of AI into existing CRM, invoicing, project management and communication tools. A stated delivery process moves from a 30-minute discovery call through audit, build and integration to launch and optimization, framed as roughly 60 days. The company also operates a Zendesk-hosted support site with knowledge base, FAQ and pilot sections, and lists a US phone contact and Slack channel for support.

Founding story

Founder Cody Retlich became involved with drones while studying entrepreneurship at UW-Whitewater, working for a firm that used drones to survey agricultural land. In 2016 he founded Midwest Aerial Productions, a marketplace connecting freelance drone pilots with work from advertising agencies, property management and construction firms, which grew to a network of more than 5,550 pilots. Retlich said he interviewed nearly 2,200 pilots over two and a half years and identified recurring problems in how missions were handled, jobs booked, payments made and data transferred; he launched DroneAdair as a spinout in 2020 to address those pain points in software.

Business model

The company combines subscription software with project-based AI services. The SaaS platform was described at launch with tiered pricing: a free version with limited capabilities, a $199 per month plan and a $299 per month professional plan. The services side is priced per engagement: AI operations audits from $3,500, custom AI automation builds at $15,000-$60,000 per project, AI inspection and vision deployments at $8,000-$25,000 per deployment, and monthly AI retainers at $2,500-$8,000 for ongoing strategy, automation rollouts, model tuning and priority support.

Recurring subscription fees for the pilot and enterprise SaaS platform, fixed-fee consulting and implementation projects (audits, custom builds, vision deployments), and monthly retainers.

Traction

As of January 2023 the platform had 35 beta users and a waitlist of more than 750 pilots. The founder's related company, Midwest Aerial Productions, reported a network of more than 5,550 pilots. The company's website publishes customer testimonials attributed to a drone inspection company owner, an aerial survey operations director and a commercial drone services chief pilot, describing automated inspection report pipelines and roughly 30% reduction in administrative overhead.

Latest developments

The company markets itself as DroneAdair AI, offering AI operations audits, custom automation builds, computer-vision inspection deployments and monthly AI retainers, with published pricing and a stated 60-day implementation path, supported by a Zendesk-based customer help center.