Spanish Drone Startup Fuvex Raises €1.7M In Series A Round

The raise includes €1.5 million in public financing, led by Sodena with a €500k investment.

“This was our first real round after more than a decade of development and production. We have managed to sign the largest drone inspection contract for the UFD-Naturgy electricity network, we have exceeded 25,000 km inspected, and we have generated interest from strategic investors that has pleasantly surprised us. This is just the beginning: we are already scaling up to gas pipelines, agriculture, and security/defense,” said Carlos Matilla Codesal, CEO and Co-founder of Fuvex.

Across Europe, drone innovation is gaining pace: Zurich’s Voliro raised €19.8M for aerial robots, Flybotix secured €8.5M for confined-space inspections, and Germany’s Energy Robotics closed €11.5M for autonomous inspection software.

While smaller in size, Fuvex’s raise signals Spain’s growing role in Europe’s drone inspection ecosystem. Unlike its Swiss and German peers focused on industrial facilities, Fuvex specializes in long-range aerial systems for energy grids, pipelines, and security, broadening Europe’s autonomous inspection reach.

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Founded in 2013, Fuvex has completed 25,000+ km of power line inspections across Spain. Its electric drones aim to replace costly helicopter surveys, cutting costs by up to 92% while offering ultra-high-resolution data 1,000x clearer than satellites.

This first external round follows over a decade of R&D and regulatory groundwork, with clients including UFD-Naturgy and Endesa.

“Supporting Fuvex in its growth is a clear example of how Sodena backs companies at all stages, reaffirming its commitment to establishing roots and generating value in Navarre through dual-use projects, both civil and defense, that apply technology and innovation to the development of high added-value solutions,” noted Iñaki Larraya Garayalde, managing director at Sodena.

The funding will allow Fuvex to reduce operational costs by 33% in 2025, targeting a 70% reduction by 2027. The startup plans to achieve 40,000 km of annual inspections by 2026 and capture 71% of the Spanish market by 2028.

Expansion will focus on Portugal, France, Italy, and Latin America. Currently employing over 50 staff, Fuvex expects to hire 15–25 more over the next 18 months in R&D, engineering, and drone operations.

The company aims to become Europe’s leader in fully autonomous, long-range drones by 2030, emphasizing infrastructure safety, sustainability, and wildfire prevention. With seven patents and growing institutional support, including a visit from Navarra Minister Mikel Irujo, Fuvex is emerging as a key player in Europe’s drone-based inspection sector.

About Future Vehicles

Future Vehicles (FuVe) is a student-driven initiative at UPM that fosters multidisciplinary projects. It supports students in participating in competitions, building prototypes, and creating their own innovative projects, expanding academic learning and hands-on experience beyond the classroom.