FireDrone gets €161K from Venture Kick for heat-resistant drones

Swiss-based startup
FireDrone has received €161,000 (CHF 150,000) from Venture Kick to develop
heat-resistant drones for extreme environments.

Firefighters and industrial safety teams encounter risks when assessing
high-temperature settings, including burning buildings and industrial furnaces.
Hazards can include toxic smoke, structural instability, and extreme heat, and
conventional drones typically cannot operate in these conditions, limiting
real-time situational awareness.

FireDrone, an Empa spin-off, develops heat-resistant autonomous drones
designed to withstand temperatures of around 200°C and provide real-time hazard
detection in environments where standard systems are ineffective. The platform
uses thermal insulation and cooling to support safety, reduce downtime, and
inform operational decisions.

The company focuses on two primary segments:
high-temperature industrial inspections and public safety. Its initial
addressable market includes cement, steel and aluminium, waste-to-energy,
fertiliser, and glass production, as well as first-responder scenarios where
conventional drones cannot operate due to heat and smoke. Across these sectors,
shared priorities like reducing downtime, improving worker safety, and meeting
regulatory requirements, are addressed by FireDrone’s real-time monitoring in
extreme environments.

The new round will support FireDrone’s go-to-market
strategy by strengthening its business development team, establishing
distribution and maintenance partnerships, advancing product certification, and
turning pilot projects into pre-orders across target industries.