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§ Private Profile · El Segundo, CA, USA
Operating system for safer and more accessible general aviation flight.
Skyryse has raised $553.0M across 5 funding rounds.
Key people at Skyryse.
Skyryse has raised $553.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Skyryse develops an aviation hardware and software platform, SkyOS™, which functions as a universal operating system for flight. This proprietary technology integrates advanced automation and control systems designed to simplify aircraft management and significantly enhance flight safety. It provides pilots with greater command during standard operations, inclement weather, and emergencies, effectively modernizing conventional aviation controls.
The company was founded in 2016 by Mark Groden, who serves as CEO. Groden's background includes an early fascination with aerospace, notably building the world's first micro quadcopter at age sixteen. He established Skyryse with the core insight that advanced automation could drastically improve safety and accessibility within general aviation, where such technologies have historically lagged behind commercial airlines.
Skyryse’s solutions are intended for integration into various aircraft, empowering pilots with sophisticated flight automation. The company's overarching vision is to usher in a new era of aviation safety, making flying more intuitive and accessible for a broader range of applications and users by redefining the operational standards of flight.
Skyryse has raised $553.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Skyryse's investors include Autopilot, ArrowMark Partners, Atreides Management, BAM Elevate, Baron Capital Group, Durable Capital Partners, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Positive Sum, Qatar Investment Authority, Rokos Capital Management, Woodline Partners, Rob Broggi.
Skyryse is an aviation hardware and software company developing SkyOS™, a universal operating system for flight that automates controls across airplanes and helicopters to enhance safety during normal operations, bad weather, and emergencies.[1][2][4] It powers the company's first aircraft, the Skyryse One™, a modified Robinson R66 turbine helicopter capable of automated takeoff, hover, landing, and engine-out autorotation via a single touchscreen and control stick, serving pilots, military, emergency services, law enforcement, and private operators.[1][4][5] Skyryse solves aviation's core safety issues—human error and mechanical complexity—by simplifying piloting to drone-like intuitiveness with triple-redundant systems boasting a failure rate of one in 100 million flight hours, while reducing weight and maintenance costs.[4][5] Growth includes partnerships with major firefighting agencies, Air Methods for EMS retrofits, the largest Series B in aerospace history at $205 million, and expansion to over 86 employees from top firms like SpaceX and Boeing.[1][7]
Founded in 2016 by Mark Groden, an engineer-pilot with a Ph.D. in sensor data fusion from the University of Michigan and over 60 patents in aerial automation, Skyryse emerged from Groden's teenage pilot training experiences highlighting aviation's fatal complexities during failures.[1][7] Obsessed with flying machines, Groden—honored on Forbes 30 Under 30, Vanity Fair’s Future Innovators, and Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs—launched the company to close the technology gap in flight safety.[1] Early traction came swiftly: in 2018, Skyryse tested SkyOS on Tracy, California's first-responder helicopters; it pioneered industry firsts like automated helicopter maneuvers; launched the world's highest-volume door-to-door air-taxi service; and secured the record-breaking $205 million Series B.[1][4][7]
Skyryse rides the autonomous aviation wave, blending aerospace automation with AI and sensor fusion amid rising demand for safer, accessible flight in drones, eVTOLs, urban air mobility, and defense.[1][4][7] Timing aligns with post-pandemic air travel recovery, labor shortages for pilots, and regulatory pushes for reduced human error (cause of most crashes), amplified by parallels to Tesla's Full Self-Driving in autos.[5][7] Market tailwinds include military needs for unmanned ops, EMS efficiency, and general aviation upgrades, with SkyOS influencing the ecosystem by retrofitting legacy fleets—over 1,000 R66 helicopters alone—and setting standards for universal fly-by-wire, potentially accelerating certification for optionally-piloted aircraft.[4][5][7]
Skyryse is poised to dominate aviation automation, expanding SkyOS to more airplane models, scaling Skylar AI integrations, and fulfilling military/EMS contracts while pursuing FAA certifications for broader commercial use.[3][4][6] Trends like AI-driven workload reduction, urban air taxis, and defense autonomy will propel growth, evolving Skyryse from retrofit pioneer to ecosystem leader—ushering safer skies as universal as roads, just as its fly-by-wire revolution promises.[1][4]
Key people at Skyryse.
Skyryse has raised $553.0M across 5 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $300.0M Series C in February 2026.
