PixiePath to Launch Drone Fleet Management Platform

Bryan Field-Elliot, a serial entrepreneur and software engineer, has launched PixiePath, a company building a marketplace-oriented SaaS platform for drone application development, distribution, and task execution. Businesses are rapidly embracing the idea of drones as versatile tools capable of conducting a wide array of tasks, and Pixiepath anticipates a growing need to effectively manage entire fleets.

Through PixiePath, drones within a fleet communicate with the cloud to efficiently execute workloads. The orchestration platform provides tools to easily and logically build complex drone applications, and manages those applications and drones in real-time. PixiePath already has working, proprietary, cloud-based technology capable of managing multiple drones operating in air, water or on land; and the startup is now actively seeking partnering companies for the purpose of further testing, refining and expanding the service.

Rather than creating onboard software already carried by most drones, PixiePath focuses on external-control software which oversees and manages the movements of entire drone fleets performing least-cost routing functions, battery monitoring, location awareness and task completion. Additionally, Field-Elliot said the PixiePath platform can utilize public and private APIs to further enhance integration with other services and data sources.

“Drone usage by companies will likely increase drastically in the coming years,” Field-Elliot said. “The worldwide market opportunity is in the billions of dollars, and PixiePath is positioned to supply drone-fleet-management services to businesses and other organizations adopting these new tools.”

This is Field-Elliot’s fifth technology startup. Before PixiePath, he served in a series of functions at the identity and access management firm Ping Identity, a company he co-founded. He also acted as advising CTO of NextAlarm, a home-security technology and services company.