We would like to extend our congratulations to Iris Automation for making it into Y Combinator! Y Combinator has a unique model for providing funding to early stage startups. They fund a large number of startups and move them to Silicon Valley for three months, where the companies are worked with intensely to improve their business and perfect their pitch. Read on to learn more about this Hub tenant company and their recent successes!

Iris Automation Inc. is a Vancouver born, high-tech computer vision company, recently backed by Y Combinator, that is building artificial intelligence to allow industrial drones to become situationally aware of their surroundings.

“Currently drones are flying blind, and that makes us all nervous about the technology. We’re here to solve the problem and give them sight,” said Iris Automation Co-Founder, Alexander Harmsen.

Harnessing the experience of the team and working out of our startup space at BCTIA has allowed the team to learn and grow fast. “By leveraging the resources, network, and space from BCTIA we’ve become much more than a garage startup,” Harmsen added.

Since moving into the space the team has tripled in size, and now includes members with PhDs in Computer Vision and collectively boasts more than 3 years of experience in the drone industry alongside organizations such as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Boeing, and Airbus. Iris Automation is looking to tackle the biggest challenge facing industrial drones: autonomous flight beyond the line of sight. With developed computer vision technology, this challenge can be overcome.

“This is the biggest problem facing the industrial drone market today, we’re solving that with cutting edge computer vision technology,” said Co-Founder James Howard.

Iris Automation has already developed a prototype of the computer vision technology, proven the technology practically works, and is currently flying on-board drones with selected partners. By 2017, Iris Automation will have a market ready product.

Click here to learn more about Iris Automation.