Lessons from a drone startup’s pivot from research to commercialization

Lab-born startups face a unique challenge: The research may be sound. But commercialization of that research? That requires a whole new set of skills.

Exyn Technologies is a Washington Avenue-HQ’d company developing aerial autonomous systems for GPS-denied environments. That includes underground mines and internal building surveys, where its drone technology can rapidly and safely generate high-fidelity 3D maps of areas that were previously inaccessible.

Exyn originated as a spinout from the University of Pennsylvania’s GRASP Labs in 2014. Its founders aimed to commercialize decades of research in areas such as aerial robotics, drone swarms, multi-modal sensor fusion, 3D mapping, obstacle avoidance, and autonomous navigation and planning.

Ben Williams was brought in as COO in 2019 to turn it into a commercially viable organization.

“We had to pivot from a research mode of ‘How do we just build the best autonomy?’ to ‘How do we build the right autonomy at a level that allows us to sell it to a customer who then finds value in it and continues to pay for it?'” he said.

In 2022, Exyn secured a $35 million Series B. This investment came from both previous and new investors, including Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries.

Tune in to this episode of Founding Philly to hear Williams share his entrepreneurial journey, his experience in transforming Exyn from a research-focused entity into a commercial leader, and how Exyn is pioneering new frontiers in autonomous technology applications.