Drone startup offers 360° photo tour of Philly’s tallest building

Penn student Christopher Kao, a 21-year-old summer intern at Curalate, was looking for a way to fund his drone piloting hobby. So he built a company around it.

Philly By Drone, a five-person startup born two months ago, is taking to the skies to drum up clients for its aerial photography and video offering. But there’s more to the business pitch than crisp hover shots and skyline porn.

“A lot of [real estate] developers are interested in knowing what the view is going to be from a building before it’s even constructed,” Kao told Technical.ly of the need his company is trying to meet.

For example, over the weekend, Kao took a close look at the upcoming Comcast Technology Center, to be completed in 2018. Using a DJI Inspire 1 Pro, the entrepreneur and licensed drone pilot captured what the views will look like from the massive tower, slated to become the tallest in Philly upon completion.

Penn has been shaping up to be a hub of drone activity of late, particularly at its Grays Ferry tech campus, the Pennovation Center. Here’s a list of companies that have a presence there, including the world’s foremost drone maker, China’s DJI.