ideaForge Invests in Vantage Robotics: Expanding Drone Ecosystem

Mumbai, Feb 20 (PTI) Drone maker ideaForge Technology Ltd on Thursday announced its strategic investment and partnership with California-based nano and micro UAV provider Vantage Robotics, Inc.

The partnership also intends to explore scaling up the delivery capacity of Vantage Robotics' drones while also enabling synergistic go-to-market strategies, it said.

Vantage Robotics has developed deep expertise in nano and micro drone hardware product design and development with a team of industry-leading engineers who have built sophisticated UAVs from the ground up, according to ideaForge.

This partnership will additionally allow ideaForge and Vantage to leverage each other's technological expertise to develop and launch new, highly advanced nano and micro drone solutions for both defence and enterprise applications, opening up a market with a TAM (Total Addressable Market) of US USD 1-billion it said.

Both nano and micro platforms are essential elements in the range of dual-use drones, and this investment and partnership will accelerate the time to market for both these platforms, it said.

Through this partnership, ideaForge will introduce and accelerate the adoption of Vantage Robotics' drone platforms for relevant Indian and select global opportunities, expanding ideaForge's range of offerings and further solidifying its market dominance, it said.

The move will help the company complete its ISR solution offerings to end customers, from nano drones to tactical drones, and also help in strengthening and complementing the company's commitment to the North American market, ideaForge said.

Vantage Robotics also offers innovative drone ground control stations and micro-gimbal camera subsystems, which can be complimentary to the company's platforms and solutions, while ideaForge's advanced software and intelligence capabilities can help Vantage enhance its offerings, it said.

"With this investment and partnership, ideaForge is further underscoring its long-term commitment to building and enabling technology and products.

"This will not only enhance our ability to drive adoption of innovative drone solutions but will also deepen our presence in the US," said Ankit Mehta, CEO of ideaForge Technology Limited.

The two partners will offer next-generation UAV solutions globally, he added. ideaForge has a leading presence in the domestic market while it is expanding footprint in international markets.

The company said this strategic investment in Vantage Robotics marks a significant milestone in its long-term vision and commitment to building a large drone ecosystem with a global perspective.

"Vantage Robotics looks forward to working with ideaForge to advance our shared mission of delivering the absolute best tools to our national security, law enforcement, and inspection customers in India and beyond”, said Vantage Robotics CEO Tobin Fisher.

The city-based ideaForge operates a manufacturing facility in Navi Mumbai, where it has scaled production of its UAVs to meet growing domestic and international demand.

As part of this strategic partnership, Vantage Robotics will be able to leverage ideaForge's manufacturing expertise and capacity to manufacture its products for the Indian and other markets, ensuring optimal utilization of its manufacturing infrastructure, the company said.