Dronus

Dronus S.p.A. was founded in 2018 in Trieste, Italy, by aerospace engineer Marco Ballerini, who leads the company as CEO. The company designs and manufactures automated drones and docking infrastructure for industrial use, with a team of around 30 engineers, aerospace specialists and software developers.

Its main product, NEST, is a patented aerial docking station that works as an autonomous node, either on its own or in a Multi-NEST network. Nodes are mounted on existing poles, walls, towers or lampposts without civil works; drones can land at whichever node suits their charge requirements, and several drones can use the same network at once. Dronus offers drone models for urban security, oil and gas, warehouse inventory, industrial sites and ports, including an ATEX Zone 2 variant for explosive atmospheres.

Eni has been an industrial partner since 2019, and the company names the Singapore agency HTX as a user for urban security. In March 2026 Dronus closed a €15 million Series A round led by Algebris, with CDP Venture Capital, SIMEST and Eni Next participating, following a €5 million seed round in 2021.