Ottawa-based Versaterm has acquired Austin, Texas-based DroneSense to bring the universal drone management platform to the hands of its public safety agency customers.
The deal is worth more than $100 million USD ($138.5 million CAD) paid through a combination of cash and equity, according to The Globe and Mail. In a statement, Versaterm said incorporating DroneSense’s drone management platform directly into its computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and other incident command systems allows the public safety agencies it serves to deploy drone flights to incident scenes just like they would for police, fire, and paramedics.
Both the United States and Canadian federal governments have loosened regulations on unmanned aerial vehicles this year.
“This acquisition moves us closer to a future where drones are as routine as any patrol or fire unit,” Versaterm president and CEO Warren Loomis said in a statement. “Adding DroneSense expands the capabilities we can offer agencies to deploy aerial support as part of response, delivering new ways to visualize complex scenes, respond with greater precision and keep both responders and communities safe.”
Founded in 2015, DroneSense says its “drone as first responder” (DFR) platform helps agencies evaluate incidents with an “eye in the sky,” dispatching and controlling any kind of drone from a central location, or handed off to an operator in the field.
Both the United States (US) and Canadian federal governments have loosened regulations on unmanned aerial vehicles this year, opening up new opportunities in the industry. This month, Canadian drone maker ZenaTech announced it intends to expand its presence in the US “earlier than expected” due to Department of Defense policy changes that both made it easier to sell directly to the American military and eliminated additional certifications for its class of drones.
Transport Canada is also modifying regulations to allow medium-sized drone operations and some beyond the visual line-of-sight drone operations to proceed without a Special Flight Operations Certificate. The changes come into effect this November.
Founded in 1977, Versaterm offers public safety software tools including the CAD system, records management system, mobile data platform, and field reporting, among other solutions. The company’s annual revenues exceed $100 million USD (about $139 million CAD), and it is profitable with 525 employees and around 1,700 customers, according to The Globe and Mail. The Globe also reported that the DroneSense acquisition is expected to add more than $10 million USD ($13.9 million CAD) in revenues and 1,300 customers for Versaterm.
Since San Francisco’s Banneker Partners acquired Versaterm for an undisclosed amount in 2020, the Ottawa company has made more than a dozen acquisitions. Last year, Versaterm acquired Logan, Utah-based mental health and wellness platform provider Mindbase and operational software provider Integrated Computer Systems.
Feature image courtesy Versaterm via LinkedIn.