DRONE FUND recently joined the Commercial UAV Expo Americas held at the Westgate Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas, NV, Oct. 28-30, making it the first US tradeshow/expo for Drone Fund.

The Commercial UAV Expo Americas is one of the leading commercial drone/UAV trade shows in the United States and the world. The most recent Commercial UAV Expo Americas achieved record numbers for exhibitors and attendees, bringing together over 2,500 professionals from across the drone space and from around the world.

DRONE FUND was honored and excited to be able to join the Expo, and used this incredible opportunity to make contacts and establish relationships across the space.

DRONE FUND’s purpose at the Expo was manifold. We wanted to use the opportunity to: (1) exhibit our portfolio companies’ solutions to customers; (2) establish new relationships with solution providers; (3) establish new relationships with press and press affiliates; (4) learn more about the US drone market and the drone space; and (5) share DRONE FUND’s vision of a drone enabled/Aerial Mobility society.

We were able to accomplish all of our objectives over the course of the three-day expo.

The first evening (Monday, Oct. 28^th) kicked off with an exhibitor ‘Happy-Hour’, which offered exhibitors an opportunity to meet with one another before the attendees arrived the next day. This was an amazing opportunity to learn more about the other exhibitors in a relaxed atmosphere.

Tuesday, Oct. 29^th was the first full day of Commercial UAV Americas 2019, and it started off with a bang! Almost immediately attendees flooded the exhibit space and the Expo hall was filled with people from all around the world. Drone rofessionals, regulators, press, educators, customers and more came to learn about the incredible solutions all across the drone space. Furthermore, Commercial UAV Americas held numerous panel discussions and presentations on a wide range of topics, including aerial mobility, women in the drone space, regulation and legislation, and more. While the Expo technically finished at 5pm, there was still plenty of action throughout the exhibit hall with exhibitors and attendees still engaging with one another and building those relationships.

Wednesday, Oct. 30^th was the third and final day of the expo. While not as packed as the day before, there were still plenty of attendees and visitors making their way through the exhibit hall, taking in all of the amazing solutions offered by the exhibitors. The lighter traffic made it possible for us to sit in on some of the panel discussions and learn more about the US (and global) drone space.

We were very pleased with the level of interest from attendees and other exhibitors in DRONE FUND. We fielded hundreds of questions about our portfolio companies’ solutions, financing, and on regulation and legislation, but three questions came up more than any other: what is the Drone Fund?, what does the Japanese drone market look like? and, where is the drone market going?

The first question was easy and we were happy to answer, as it allowed us to describe DRONE FUND’s vision, investment process, and objectives. The second question was also a joy to answer, as it indicated the growing level of interest in Japan and Japanese drone tech from overseas. But the third question was the most interesting! Asking ‘Where is the drone market going?’ allowed us to open a dialog with one another, as no one is completely sure where is market is going and how the landscape will look in 5, 10, or 20 years. What is known is that the drone market is moving forward, and (forgive the pun) about to take off!

Overall, Commercial UAV Expo Americas was an invaluable opportunity for Drone Fund and the connections and relationships forged during the expo will allow DRONE FUND to continue to push the drone space forward and realize our vision of a truly drone enabled society!

Written by Tavis Sartin