Air transit assistance system startup SkyRyse has accrued $25m in seed and series A funding from investors including Stanford University.
US-based aircraft piloting system developer SkyRyse has made its public debut with a total of $25m in seed and series A funding from investors including Stanford University.
VC firm Venrock led the consortium, which also featured Eclipse, Industry Ventures, Trucks Venture Capital, Cantos Ventures and Engage Ventures.
Founded in 2016, SkyRyse has created an advanced pilot assistance system (Apas) intended to reduce workloads and human error in the operation of vertical take-off and land (VTOL) aircraft. It will develop technologies and protocols it hopes will form the basis of future air travel.
SkyRyse’s first service will aid air emergency response fleets operated by state or local governments, and will include a VTOL vehicle as well as the Apas technology and access to trained pilots.
The startup expects to commence operations in January 2019 with emergency response units in Tracy, California.
Mark Groden, co-founder and chief executive of SkyRyse, said: “Every year, billions of hours are wasted in traffic and spent following inefficient travel corridors, taxing our well-being and economic productivity. We are building an air transportation service that is not limited by today’s infrastructure.
“Because the stakes are highest in emergency response situations when minutes can mean the difference between life and death, we are launching SkyRyse Emergency Response to support governments and municipalities first, with plans to change how we get around our cities in the future.”
