Aerial drone maker Airphrame secures $4.2M in startup funding

Aerial imaging and mapping is about to become more accessible. Airphrame, aerial imagery provider and drone creator just secure $4.2 million in startup funds, according to an SEC filing dated for today.

The total offering was for just under $5 million, leaving $750,000 remaining to be sold as of this writing.

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Airphrame is a service that uses a network of “remote sensing devices” it calls Airphrames to provide people with aerial data — including digital images, orthographic maps, 3D models, and visual analysis — without having to think about operating a drone. All you have to do is point and click on a map to obtain the info you want.

The devices work over the majority of developed land in the U.S. in both urban and rural locations. And while the aerial imagery can be used for a variety of applications, the company focuses primarily on the engineering and insurance sectors right now.

The filing was made by Bret Kugelmass, president of Airphrame. According to his website, the company has developed a fleet of drones, “at a 10x cost reduction from comparable systems.” He also notes that they work with farmers to “use extra data to reduce input costs and increase yield.”

The company got its start on June 17, 2012, and was founded by Kugelmass. It is also led by Hao Chen, who is in charge of flight systems and computer vision, and Graham Gibbons, lead software engineer. Airphrame is based in San Francisco.