KEF Robotics
A robotics software development company.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
* | N/A | Grant | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
| USD | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenues | 0000 | 0000 |
| % growth | - | 45 % |
| EBITDA | 0000 | 0000 |
| Profit | 0000 | 0000 |
| EV | 0000 | 0000 |
| EV / revenue | 00.0x | 00.0x |
| EV / EBITDA | 00.0x | 00.0x |
| R&D budget | 0000 | 0000 |
Source: Dealroom estimates
Related Content
KEF Robotics, founded in 2021 by a team of Carnegie Mellon University alumni including Fraser Kitchell, Eric Amoroso, and Kevin O'Brien, specializes in developing advanced autonomy software for aircraft. The company's primary mission is to enable aircraft to fly safely and reliably without a human pilot, thereby expanding their operational range and utility. The founders bring a wealth of experience from their work at Carnegie Mellon's National Robotics Engineering Center, where they were involved in projects for clients like the Office of Naval Research and DARPA, focusing on autonomous flight and landing capabilities for rotorcraft.
At its core, KEF Robotics is a computer vision company. Its technology leverages cameras and proprietary algorithms to achieve autonomous flight across a diverse range of aerial platforms. The software is designed to be hardware-agnostic, allowing for integration with various types of aircraft, including small drones and larger rotorcraft. This flexibility addresses a critical need in the defense sector, where operators often manage multiple types of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and require a unified, reliable control system. The system's capabilities include navigating in environments where GPS signals are unavailable or denied, a significant advantage for military and defense operations.
The business model appears to be centered on providing this specialized software to clients, primarily within the defense and government sectors. KEF Robotics has secured multiple contracts with the U.S. government, including Phase I, Phase II, and Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards from the Air Force's AFWERX program and the Office of Naval Research. These contracts support the development and adaptation of their computer vision-based software for specific military applications, such as autonomous casualty evacuation and logistics. By focusing on software, KEF Robotics positions itself as a key enabler for a wide array of hardware manufacturers and defense contractors, aiming to become a standard for autonomous flight control systems.
Keywords: autonomous flight, computer vision, defense technology, uncrewed aerial systems, robotics software, hardware-agnostic, GPS-denied navigation, military drones, SBIR contracts, aviation autonomy