Remember when spotting a drone in the sky was a novelty? Now its like playing whack-a-mole with flying machines. Delivery drones, military drones, AI drones, hobby drones our skies are busier than the queue at airport security. Without air traffic control, were one step away from midair collisions and drones arguing over parking spots.Enter AirDodge, a Norwegian startup thats stepping in to tame the chaos. The Oslo-based company just secured a $500,000 pre-seed funding round, led by VC firms Nordic Makers and Antler. The investment will help AirDodge develop its U-Space software platform, designed to manage large-scale drone operations across Europe.At AirDodge, we envision a future where drones seamlessly integrate into the airspace, contributing positively to various industries while ensuring safety and compliance, said Umar Chughtai, who founded AirDodge in 2022. This funding will allow us to accelerate the development of our U-Space platform, bringing us closer to realising that vision.The AirDodge platform provides a real-time map of drone activity and aims to simplify the process of obtaining flight permissions. The tech aligns with the EUs U-Space standards which are designed to provide safe, efficient and secure access to airspace for large numbers of unmanned aircraft, operating automatically and beyond visual line of sight.The of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!In 2018, Londons Gatwick airport was forced to shut down after drones were spotted flying near the runway. The incident affected around 1,000 flights and 140,000 passengers. Many similar incidents have occurred over the years, from Stockholm to Frankfurt.If AirDodges tech had been around during the Gatwick fiasco, it couldve spotted the rogue drones in real-time, flagged them faster than airport security can confiscate a water bottle, and perhaps kept flights running smoothly. By enforcing no-fly zones and syncing drones with air traffic control, the platform might have saved 140,000 passengers a lot of headaches (and missed connections).Drone technology has the potential to have a positive impact on society, business and public services, but there is not yet a way to guarantee safety, said Kristian Jul Rsj, partner at Antler. High-profile disruptions are hindering the development of this technology and AirDodge will provide a much-needed solution.AirDodge will use the pre-seed funding to accelerate the development of its platform. The company aims to launch the alpha version in mid-2025.Across the EU, the market for drone services is soaring. One projection valuing it at 14.5bn by 2030, bringing in 145,000 new jobs. But as drones proliferate, so do the challenges.We have the drones, but we lack the infrastructure, said Nima Tisdall, partner at Nordic Makers. In this case, the infrastructure is not roads, plumbing, or electrical wires; but rather ethereal communication systems.Tisdall added that Airdodge had unusual strengths for the region.The founding team is forceful and ambitious qualities that can be surprisingly rare to find in Nordic entrepreneurs, but integral in building a category-winning business, she said. Were excited to be supporting a local player who can help unlock the large-scale adoption of drones across Europe. Story by Sin Geschwindt Sin is a climate and energy reporter at TNW. From nuclear fusion to escooters, he covers the length and breadth of Europe's clean tech ecos (show all) Sin is a climate and energy reporter at TNW. From nuclear fusion to escooters, he covers the length and breadth of Europe's clean tech ecosystem. He's happiest sourcing a scoop, investigating the impact of emerging technologies, and even putting them to the test. Sin has five years journalism experience and holds a dual degree in media and environmental science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Get the TNW newsletterGet the most important tech news in your inbox each week.Also tagged with