Percepto, an autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider, announced this week a combined $67 million in Series C in equity and debt funding, led by Koch Disruptive Technologies, alongside new investors Zimmer Partners and one of the largest U.S. energy companies.
Percepto Autonomous Inspection & Monitoring (AIM), the company's end-to-end visual inspection solution powered by autonomous drones, robots and AI, enables critical infrastructure sites to increase the frequency and quality of inspections via automation. The solution automates the entire visual inspection workflow, from data collection to AI-powered analysis and insights.
The round includes participation from existing investors U.S. Venture Partners, Delek US Holdings, Atento Capital, Spider Capital and Arkin Holdings, bringing the total investment in the company to more than $120 million, reflecting Percepto's strong performance and confidence in its robust offering.
Percepto recently received an nationwide Beyond Line of Sight (BVLOS) waiver from the FAA, allowing the company to provide any US critical infrastructure site with remotely-operated automated drones without the need for site specific approvals from the FAA.
A game changer for the industry, this waiver removes logistical and cost barriers, such as the need for radars or people on the ground, fueling the adoption of autonomous drone technology, according to the company.
“KDT's reinvestment underlines their confidence in our ability to make companies more profitable by keeping infrastructure operational in the face of the unpredictable,” said Percepto Co-founder and CEO Dor Abuhasira. “Organizations are increasingly discovering the benefits of autonomous and remote drone operations to automate facility inspections and data analysis across their sites.
“With this new round of funding, new strategic investors, and the new regulations that significantly increase the access to using autonomous drones, the conditions are ripe for the autonomous drone market to expand, and for Percepto to meet the growing demand for automated drone inspections and monitoring at industrial sites,” Abuharsia said.
Percepto helps heavy industry customers save money
Heavy industry confronts major challenges to operate efficiently, maintain reliable critical infrastructure, meet high productivity expectations, and increase safety levels - all in the face of complex, hazardous and often aging infrastructure assets.
Percepto helps industrial companies save seven-figure amounts and meet these challenges by allowing real-time visibility into their facility's infrastructure integrity, and finding failures before they escalate into incidents.
In one instance, an oil & gas customer using Percepto's Air Max OGI drone detected within hours a methane gas leak that could have gone unnoticed for months using conventional methods, saving the company millions of dollars, minimizing safety risks to workers, and preventing environmental damage.
“Percepto is a powerful force in boosting the accessibility of automated drones for industrial inspection and monitoring,” said Chase Koch, Founder and CEO of Koch Disruptive Technologies. “Having deployed Percepto's technology across various Koch companies, we are experiencing first-hand how its innovative R&D improves inspection and monitoring.
Percepto breaks regulatory ground
Their work to create a clear regulatory path for this technology puts it in a strong market position, firmly stationed at the forefront of the industry. We look forward to continuing our journey with Percepto as it sets the new standard for making industrial operations safe, efficient and sustainable,” Kock said.
With Percepto AIM, problems such as gas leaks, overheating and infrastructure deterioration are detected faster so companies, such as Siemens Energy, can take preventative measures to make sites more productive while minimizing the risk of environmental and safety incidents to meet their environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals.
“Percepto's unique AI technology provides heavy industry with a path to maximize their efficiency and ensure smooth operations both in terms of providing a safe environment for workers and generating high productivity levels,” said Siemens Energy Venture Partner Illai Gescheit.
“We are impressed with Percepto's growth within a turbulent market, and look forward to working with them as they continue to pioneer drone regulations and innovations that will help deliver commercial value to our customers while fulfilling their environmental responsibilities,” Gescheit added.
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