Iris Automation

Acquired

Enabling autonomous drone operations globally through AI software

Summer 2016Founded 2015San Francisco, CA, USA; Remote

www.irisonboard.com ↗LinkedIn ↗X ↗GitHub ↗Crunchbase ↗See on the Idea Map Industrials momentum

About

The future for autonomous industrial drones is in sight - Enabling safer drone operation through intelligent collision avoidance. We are a Y Combinator and Silicon Valley investor company with a team from NASA, Boeing and PhDs in computer vision. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y7tm4zr8 Website: www.IrisOnBoard.com

From their website

as of Jun 7, 2026www.irisonboard.com ↗

API/Infra

Iris Automation provides autonomous drone operations support by enabling real-time airspace awareness and situational visibility through AI-powered software. Their offerings focus on integration with airspace surveillance and safety tools to manage BVLOS operations.

The product combines multiple layers of airspace awareness: cooperative ADS-B surveillance, non-cooperative aircraft detection, and real-time UAS tracking. It includes hardware and software components (FlightLine ADS-B receivers, CASIA G non-cooperative detection, Trakr for real-time drone tracking) that feed a cloud-based processing and display portal, with optional wearable alerts (skyAlert) and an API for live visibility and automated proof-of-flight logging. The system is designed to support BVLOS operations, test ranges, emergency response, and enterprise airspace management by visualizing both UAS and manned aircraft in real time and deconflicting traffic.

Who it’s for: UAS operators (commercial and public safety), airspace managers, and enterprise/defense stakeholders requiring real-time airspace visibility and deconfliction for BVLOS and complex operations.

Features

cooperative ADS-B surveillance
non-cooperative aircraft detection
real-time UAS tracking
cloud-based processing and display
wearable alerting for operators
proof-of-flight logging via API
BVLOS and emergency response support

Hiring/traction/funding mentions: none explicitly stated in provided text

Founders · 2

Alexander HarmsenFounder/CEO

CEO/Co-founder of PortfolioPilot.com, a personal AI financial advisor with over $30B AOP. Former CEO/Founder at Iris Automation, autonomous vehicle software company - raised over $30M, sales globally, regulatory approvals in 9 countries, and successfully exited to a big partner. Advisor to various other deep tech and SaaS companies like VeriSIMLife.com, a computational pharma company aiming to reduce the need for animal testing to speed up and reduce the costs of drug development.

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