DroneUp Takes Off in Virginia

DroneUp, Hampton Roads

Sky-High Demand

Virginia-born business DroneUp, LLC was founded by former U.S. Navy officer Tom Walker in 2016. The company works to make drone flight work for businesses through flight services, delivery services, and airspace management. What originally began as a web and mobile platform for on-demand drone pilot services has expanded into a multimillion-dollar operation that is the exclusive provider of drone services for Walmart. After establishing its headquarters in Virginia Beach in 2016, Walker has kept his eyes on the skies looking for new ways to expand his business.

The Virginia Solution

Elevating the Partnership

In 2019, DroneUp invested $130,000 to expand its headquarters operation in Virginia Beach, creating 41 new jobs. One year later, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company partnered with Walmart to deliver COVID-19 test kits. The partnership was so successful that the retail giant invested in DroneUp to establish permanent last-mile drone delivery for a large portion of its product line. In 2021, DroneUp announced a multi-year commercial services agreement with Walmart to provide drone delivery services at 34 sites, providing the potential to reach 4 million U.S. households by the end of the year. 

With exponential growth on the horizon, DroneUp needed to expand its physical footprint and its workforce, including building a talent pipeline of new employees such as drone pilots and engineers. The company’s existing headquarters in Virginia Beach was the right spot to launch this next phase of development, but the company also required a location for testing, training, and R&D for drone operators. Richard Bland College in Petersburg, Va., had just the setup for the newest operation. DroneUp’s work complements Richard Bland’s ongoing efforts to develop a curriculum for an unmanned aviation program, so the school could begin training pilots right away while additional training center facilities were built. Every drone pilot hired would first need to come to Richard Bland College for a two-week course, and the college also offered dorm space for pilots coming in from all over the country for training.

In August 2022, DroneUp announced a total investment of $27.2 million to expand its headquarters in the city of Virginia Beach and establish a testing, training, and R&D center at Richard Bland College in Dinwiddie County. Virginia successfully competed with Arizona, New York, North Carolina, and Texas for the projects, which will create 655 total new jobs.

In addition to the headquarters facility and training center, DroneUp also announced plans to establish three drone hubs at Walmart locations in the Commonwealth as part of their commercial services agreement.

“We started what is now the largest drone technology services company in the United States…and we celebrate further expansion and the opening of the world’s first and most advanced specialized drone pilot training facility. And we’ve done it all right here in Virginia.” - Tom Walker, Founder and CEO, DroneUp

DroneUp’s expansion in Virginia Beach and new testing, training, and R&D center at Richard Bland College is an exciting step forward for the unmanned systems industry in Virginia and serves as a model for higher education partnerships and economic development.