Mike Winn
FounderCEO & Co-Founder at Drone Deploy
San Francisco, California, United States
FoundedDrone Deploy
About
Mike Winn is the co-founder and CEO of DroneDeploy, the reality-capture platform Procore agreed to acquire for about $845 million in cash in July 2026. Raised in South Africa, he studied economics and applied math at Rhodes University, worked at Google, and co-founded the carpooling service Zoomatelo before starting DroneDeploy in 2013 with Rhodes friends Nick Pilkington and Jono Millin — inspired by drone anti-poaching patrols in Kruger National Park — and growing it through AngelPad to 3 million jobsites across 180 countries.
Deal analysis
- DroneDeploy × Procore: who got the money home
An estimated liquidation waterfall of the $845m all-cash exit: every class converted — seed money made ~33x, founders took ~$127m, and the 2025 insider round returned ~1.4x in ten months.
Read the analysis →
Beyond investing
- Founded
- Co-founded DroneDeploy in 2013 through the AngelPad accelerator, inspired by how hard it was for Kruger National Park's ~650 rangers to patrol 7,500 square miles — the founders wanted drones flyable from a phone.
- Education
- Studied economics and applied mathematics at Rhodes University, where the three DroneDeploy co-founders met.
- More
- Worked on sales and engineering teams at Google and co-founded the carpooling web service Zoomatelo before DroneDeploy. Announced DroneDeploy had hit break-even in September 2025 alongside a strategic $15M round, then agreed to sell to Procore for ~$845M in July 2026 — about 5x the ~$160M the company raised.
From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.
CEO & Co-Founder at Drone Deploy
Intro paths
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In turn, Mike can intro founders to Drone Deploy's investors below.
Drone Deploy's investors · 11
AirTree VenturesSydney · $132K – $16.5M checksAngelPadSan Francisco · $120K checksBessemer Venture PartnersRedwood City · $5M – $100M checksDCVC (Data Collective)Palo Alto · $5M – $25M checksDRONE FUNDTokyoEmergence Capital PartnersSan Francisco · $500K – $10M checksEnergize CapitalChicago · $10M – $20M checksFrontline VenturesSan Francisco · $540K – $3.2M checksHigh AlphaIndianapolisScale Venture PartnersSan Francisco · $5M – $25M checksUncork CapitalSan Francisco · $3M – $5M checks
Co-founders at Drone Deploy
NP
Nick PilkingtonCTO & Co-Founder
JM.avif)
Jono MillinChief Data Officer & Co-Founder
MW
Michael WinnFounder
NP
Nicholas PilkingtonFounder
Experience
- DroneDeployFounder & CEOcurrent2013 — presentSan Francisco
- GoogleTech Lead - Big Data & Tools, Large Customer Sales2012 — 2013
- GoogleAccount Manager, Large Customer Sales2010 — 2012Greater Dublin
- Zoomatelo.comCo-Founder2009 — 2011
- Standard BankManager Sales Planning2008 — 2010
- OppipressManaging Editor2007
Skills & more
Strategy23Management34Strategic Planning2Business Strategy22Project Planning16Digital Marketing11Online Marketing5Entrepreneurship29Integration1Marketing Strategy9Social Media Marketing5Business Development6
+11 more
Market ResearchStart-upsCompetitive AnalysisNew Business DevelopmentOnline AdvertisingCRMDigital StrategyProject ManagementProduct ManagementStrategic PartnershipsAnalyticsFrom Mike's professional profile.
Podcasts & interviews
featuring Mike WinnDrone Deploy with Mike Winn
Kashmir World Foundation
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Mike Winn?
- Mike Winn is the co-founder and CEO of DroneDeploy, the reality-capture platform Procore agreed to acquire for about $845 million in cash in July 2026. Raised in South Africa, he studied economics and applied math at Rhodes University, worked at Google, and co-founded the carpooling service Zoomatelo before starting DroneDeploy in 2013 with Rhodes friends Nick Pilkington and Jono Millin — inspired by drone anti-poaching patrols in Kruger National Park — and growing it through AngelPad to 3 million jobsites across 180 countries.
- Where does Mike Winn work?
- Mike Winn is CEO & Co-Founder of Drone Deploy.
- What companies did Mike Winn found?
- Mike Winn founded Drone Deploy.
- Where did Mike Winn go to school?
- Mike Winn studied at Rhodes University (Business Science, Economics); International Secondary School of Eindhoven; AngelPad.
- What podcasts and interviews feature Mike Winn?
- Tracked appearances include "Drone Deploy with Mike Winn".
Founder mafias
Rhodes University mafia2
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Same school
Also attended Rhodes University12
Tom NicholsonSenior Analyst at PeakBridge VCByron AndersonOperations / Finance at Standard CryptoBrendon GrunewaldGrowth – Data Sovereignity – Finance at AngelwiseMorgan HunterSenior Analyst at BioMedPartnersLincoln WahlChief Financial Officer at FederationKristina McDougallAdvisor at RiSC Capital Corp
+ 6 more
Shared employers
Also worked at DroneDeploy16
Alex NiehenkePartner at Scale Venture PartnersRory O'DriscollPartner at Scale Venture PartnersM.G. ThibautFormer Chief Financial Officer at DroneDeploy at Scale Venture PartnersJohn ToughCo-Founder & Managing Partner, Member of Investment Committee at Energize VenturesKatie McClainPartner & COO, Member of Investment Committee at Energize VenturesJuan MuldoonPartner — Co-Head of Ventures at Energize Ventures
+ 10 more
Also worked at Google1,715
Ron ConwayFounder of SV AngelElad GilSolo general partner investing through Gil CapitalKai-Fu LeeChairman of Sinovation Ventures and CEO of 01.AIBrian SingermanCo-founder of GPx; Partner Emeritus at Founders FundJess LeePartner and Chief Product Officer at Sequoia CapitalTomasz TunguzFounder & General Partner at Theory Ventures
+ 1,709 more
