In a recent development, Avular, a Dutch-drone startup raised €1.5M ($1.8 million) in new funding from Lumipol Holding, a parent organization of several companies in construction, agriculture, industry, and shipping. Avular also raised €450,000 in 2015 to develop drones for agricultural and inspection purposes.
At first, the funding may appear to be modest as Statista Research estimates commercial drone revenue in Europe from 2015 to 2025 to be €207M. However, Avular that’s been on the market since 2014 is using a variety of tactics to stay relevant in the fragmented drone market and carve out a niche for itself.
Here are the three strategies Avular is pursuing to stay ahead of the competition and to find a niche it can depend upon to scale-up.
#1 Avular is building a modular drone platform instead of a static product
Unlike its Dutch competitor Aerialtronics, Avular is building a modular drone platform. “This year the focus is really on the Aerial Curiosity, a modular drone platform where you can easily connect new sensors and program in a simple way,” said Yuri Steinbuch of Avular in an interview with DroneWatch.