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French deep-tech company Rift has closed a €4.6 million funding round led by AlleyCorp with participation from OVNI Capital. The investment will accelerate the development and deployment of Rift’s pioneering on-demand aerial intelligence network, operated from a single remote command center.
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The company specializes in autonomous drone-based observation to protect national territories and critical infrastructure.
Revolutionizing Surveillance with a “Zero-CAPEX” Service Model
Faced with escalating geopolitical and climate risks, the demand for cost-effective, long-range aerial surveillance is critical. Traditional methods, like helicopter patrols costing over €3,000 per hour, are prohibitively expensive and logistically limited.
Rift’s Surveillance-as-a-Service model offers an agile alternative, providing continuous monitoring at a fraction of the cost. This zero-CAPEX service allows clients—including government ministries and infrastructure operators—to access instant aerial surveillance while ensuring data sovereignty.
Integrated Technology for Real-World Missions
Rift’s integrated platform combines long-endurance VTOL drones, autonomous deployment stations, and its proprietary RiftOS software. This system centralizes piloting, reducing operational costs by up to ten times compared to traditional methods and eliminating the need for permanent on-site teams. The technology supports critical missions such as early wildfire detection, monitoring illegal border crossings, and securing pipelines and power grids.
“Rift is building the missing link between ground teams and satellites. Our ambition is to equip nations with a scalable aerial intelligence infrastructure that strengthens public safety and strategic autonomy,” said Daniel Nef, Co-founder and CEO of Rift. “
Scaling Production and Advancing Autonomous Operations
The new capital will fund the scaled production of Rift’s container-sized autonomous drone stations, designed to host multiple drones for 24/7 aerial coverage.
Concurrently, Rift is advancing its AI-driven analytics to fully automate the mission cycle—from planning to reporting—by 2027. This roadmap aims to open European airspace for autonomous operations, particularly in border surveillance and critical infrastructure protection.
“Rift’s integration of hardware, software, and data has the opportunity to improve the security of state infrastructure significantly,” said Luc Ryan-Schreiber, Principal at AlleyCorp.
European Expansion and Strategic Hiring
With a rapidly growing global drone market, Rift is strengthening its industrial capacity and plans to double its workforce by the end of 2026.
The company is already engaged in pilot projects for maritime and terrestrial surveillance with European states and industrial partners, preparing for large-scale network deployment across the continent’s most sensitive zones.
