SkyX to open R&D center in Israel, hire 50 people

Founded by Israeli Didi Horn, SkyX develops long-range drones for aerial scanning and data analysis

Unmanned Aircraft System company SkyX Ltd., founded by Israeli Didi Horn, is opening a research and development center in Israel and is recruiting 50 employees, most in the fields of software development and image processing.

 

Horn founded the company in 2016 and it currently employs dozens of workers in offices in Canada, the U.S., Romania, and now in Israel too. The current expansion comes on the heels of the company signing a contract with one of the world’s leading oil companies.

 

SkyX founder Didi Horn. Photo: SkyX

SkyX develops autonomous aircraft capable of scanning large swathes of land and analyzing the data to offer clients artificial intelligence generated predictions on infrastructure projects. The company provides its aerial data to private companies and public organizations. Its missions include inspecting oil and gas assets, power and rail infrastructure as well as providing border patrol and search and rescue assistance. Its services enable organizations to make calculated decisions on their infrastructure health, reduce risks related to remote holdings, and lower maintenance and insurance costs. SkyX’s software can upload a complete flight plan to the UAS and enables operators to track the entire course as well as to conduct spot checks on critical locations along the route.

 

“SkyX is a combination of a Canadian-global company that carries out international scale projects and an Israeli arm with advanced dynamic and creative capabilities. The combination offers the ability to provide breakthrough technology meeting the high standards of the world’s largest energy companies,” Horn said.

 

“The company proved its ability to carry out global scale projects in 2018 and signed initial contracts in 2019. Now, in the wake of signing multi-year contracts, the company decided to expand its services and advance at an accelerated pace in strategic locations. As for Israel, there is no doubt, it is the world leader when it comes to image processing and data analysis, so it was clear that we’d open the new center in the country with the best available talent,” Horn added.

 

Skyx's unmanned aerial vehicles. Photo: SkyX

SkyX is also expanding its activities to the United Arab Emirates, where starting in the first quarter of 2021 it will focus on sales, manufacturing, and distribution to Persian Gulf countries.

 

The company, which has so far raised $18 million in two rounds of funding, is currently conducting its third round to help it meet increased demands resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak. Israeli businesswoman and entrepreneur Lital Leshem recently joined the company’s board of directors.