Hangar Technology

Hangar Technology, founded in 2015 by Colin Guinn and Jeffrey DeCoux, operated as a software company specializing in autonomous data capture using drone technology. Based in Austin, Texas, the firm developed a robotics-as-a-service platform to automate the collection of drone data and transform it into actionable insights for various industries.

Colin Guinn, a well-known figure in the UAV industry, previously served as the CEO of DJI North America and Chief Revenue Officer at 3D Robotics, bringing extensive experience in drone technology and market development. Jeffrey DeCoux has a 30-year background in founding tech companies focused on business automation and has raised over $100 million for his ventures. Their combined expertise shaped Hangar's mission to streamline data acquisition for large-scale enterprise clients.

The company's core business involved providing a platform that connected a network of licensed drone pilots with enterprises needing aerial data. This platform enabled the autonomous execution of specialized missions using off-the-shelf drones. The business model centered on turning complex data acquisition into a simple, on-demand service where clients could order specific data, and Hangar's system would manage the entire workflow from capture to delivery. In October 2016, the company secured $6.5 million in a seed funding round led by Lux Capital to expand its platform and development team. Another seed round followed in December 2017.

Hangar's product suite included specialized applications such as JobSight, designed for the construction industry to automate the capture of orthomosaics and panoramas, and TowerSight, which provided a digital workflow for automated tower inspections. The platform would automatically process the collected drone data to create detailed digital reconstructions and analyses of assets. A key partnership with Esri allowed ArcGIS users to request and receive on-demand aerial imagery directly within the GIS software, providing more frequently updated and richer data types like 360° photos and thermal imagery.

In September 2019, Hangar Technology was acquired by AirMap, a global airspace intelligence platform. Following the acquisition, Hangar continued to operate as a subsidiary of AirMap, maintaining its team and headquarters in Austin. The deal aimed to integrate Hangar's workflow automation and high-precision flight planning capabilities into AirMap's broader ecosystem, enhancing the offerings for enterprise clients and developers worldwide.

Keywords: drone data platform, autonomous data capture, aerial intelligence, robotics-as-a-system, drone workflow automation, asset inspection, construction technology, infrastructure monitoring, digital reconstruction, aerial imaging, drone services, data acquisition, reality capture, geospatial data, site monitoring, tower inspection, remote sensing, orthomosaic, enterprise drones, automated inspection