El Segundo-based Skyryse closed an oversubscribed $300 million Series C led by Autopilot Ventures and Fidelity Management & Research Company. The round values the aviation technology firm at $1.15 billion.
Led by CEO Dr. Mark Groden, Skyryse is scaling SkyOS, the world’s first universal operating system for flight. The system replaces complex mechanical controls with a fly-by-wire interface, enabling takeoff, hover, and landing via a single touchscreen swipe. This move toward cross-platform “Vertical OS” adoption parallels the mission-specific automation seen in Breezy’s real estate workspace.
Market Signal
- The Interface Alpha: Skyryse is building the “Aviation Infrastructure” layer. By proving SkyOS on inherently unstable helicopters first, the company has created a technical superset that allows for rapid scaling across the world’s largest fleets, including the Black Hawk and Pilatus PC-12.
- Dual-Use Dominance: Partnerships with the U.S. Army, CAL FIRE, and emergency medical operators validate SkyOS as a mission-critical safety standard, securing institutional revenue while the consumer “Skyryse One” aircraft moves through its FAA delivery phase.
- The Certification Bottleneck: The primary execution hurdle remains the final FAA For-Credit flight testing phase; while design approval is secured, any regulatory delay in the “Simplified Vehicle Operations” (SVO) framework could push back the H1 2026 delivery timeline.
Key Details
- Funding: $300M+ ($605M total)
- Valuation: $1.15B
- Lead Investor: Autopilot Ventures
- CEO: Dr. Mark Groden
- Use Case: Universal aircraft operating system and autonomous flight controls
