Dive Brief:
- Germany-based startup FairFleet plans to play matchmaker between drone pilots and construction, real estate marketing and media businesses in Germany in order to take advantage of the growing commercial drone market, TechCrunch reported.
- With FairFleet's process, a client identifies a location it needs images for, and FairFleet then contacts its pre-qualified drone pilots in that area for quotes. As a last step, the company sends the client a list of the top three interested pilots who have the necessary equipment.
- Company co-founder Eldar Gizzatov announced that FairFleet was launching out of private beta during TechCrunch’s Disrupt London technology conference Monday.
Dive Insight:
Gizzatov developed FairFleet under the guidance of insurance giant Allianz’s business accelerator program and told TechCrunch his work on Autodesk’s ReCap product as an intern gave him the inspiration for FairFleet’s concept. Autodesk recently announced an investment in drone startup Skycatch as part of Autodesk ReCap software's pairing with Skycatch drones. Autodesk and Skycatch will work together to process aerial data captured on construction sites.
Gizzatov said he and co-founders Alex Kostitsyn and Dario Manns looked to Allianz’s interest in drone use in the processing of claims as a way to determine its first market — the insurance industry. FairFleet has since added other industries, including construction, to its list of target markets.
"That was only the initial step," Gizzatov told TechCrunch. "It’s not a viable business if you just wait for a flood to happen. My goal was to have a venture that isn’t too reliant on Allianz."
FairFleet requires potential drone pilots to fill out a thorough application as part of a rigorous vetting process. After reviewing an applicant’s image portfolio, FairFleet then conducts telephone interviews with an emphasis on drone safety rules.
Judging by the number of Allianz drone insurance policies in Germany — currently at 25,000 — Gizzatov said he believes there is a sufficient supply of drone pilots, but, despite growing demand, FairFleet cannot yet guarantee enough clients to provide a match for every pilot.
Although FairFleet is currently focused on the German market, drone use is currently taking off in the U.S. construction and real estate industries, and drone approval is becoming easier to obtain. Drones have also offered a never-before-seen look at some high-profile construction projects — like Tesla’s gigafactory in Nevada and the Apple 2 "spaceship" campus in Cupertino, CA — from a bird’s eye perspective, but they have also raised questions about safety and worker privacy.
