The verified answer
As of Oct 2026, DEPLOY verifies Ornadyne: 1 model, 2 deployments across 2 regions, $500,000 raised. 4 sources back the record.
CategoryDrones
Overview
Ornadyne builds flapping-wing ornithopter drones that look, fly, and sound like real birds for covert military reconnaissance. Their flagship O1 is a crow-shaped biomimetic UAV with a one-meter wingspan, hour-class flight time, and near-silent acoustic signature designed to evade counter-UAS detection. The company is a Y Combinator Spring 2026 (P26) batch startup targeting U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and defense customers.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 2 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Valuation of record
DEPLOY VERIFIEDPriced roundPre-Seed post-money
Key facts
Data & sources
Web sources
4
4 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Ornadyne on the deployment map
View the global map2 verified deployments across 2 regions, newest verified Jun 2024. Explore where Ornadyne's robots are operating, by place and type.
View the full Ornadyne deployment record →
Relationships
Current leadership (2)
- Geourg Kivijian Co-Founder & CEO
- Armen Arakelyan Co-Founder & CTO
Founders (2)
- Geourg Kivijianno longer at company
- Armen Arakelyanno longer at company
Safety record
No incidents on record for Ornadyne.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operator customers (1)
- Ornadyne2 deployments
Recent coverage
Ornadyne in third-party press
Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- DJI9 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- Skydio6 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
Mentioned on (2)
Registry pages whose text names Ornadyne.
People (2)
Financial state
- Total funding
- $500,000
- Reporting basis
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- early
- Counterparty risk class
- unknown
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Funding rounds (1)
- Pre-Seed2026-06-23
$500,000 · $2M post
Investors: Y Combinator (lead)
Timeline
Every recorded move in Ornadyne’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
Funding roundPre-Seed funding round
2026-06-23Pre-Seed raising $500000
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJul 15, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJun 1, 2024
Ornadyne O1 at Germany, Europe
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJun 1, 2024
Ornadyne O1 at United States (multiple hotel chains)
Sources (4)
- https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/ornadyne
- https://www.automate.org/robotics/industry-insights/robotics-raises-aseon-labs-h3-zoom-ornadyne-rekise-marine-seahi-robotics
- https://ornadyne.com/
- https://www.autonomyglobal.co/as-the-crow-flies-ornadynes-bird-mimicking-ornithopter-o1-targets-military-reconnaissance-missions/
Common questions
What is Ornadyne?
What does Ornadyne make?
Is Ornadyne publicly traded?
Who competes with Ornadyne?
Who is the CEO of Ornadyne?
How can I invest in Ornadyne?
Where is Ornadyne headquartered?
How much funding has Ornadyne raised?
Who owns Ornadyne?
Where does Ornadyne operate robots?
How many robots has Ornadyne deployed?
Is Ornadyne a top robotics company?
When was Ornadyne founded?
Is Ornadyne safe?
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-10-13
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-10-13
Sources by quality tier
- 4
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Ornadyne.Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- DJI9 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- Skydio6 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Ornadyne from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Robotics Raises: Aseon Labs, H3 Zoom, Ornadyne, Rekise Marine, Seahi Robotics
Ornadyne exits stealth with $500,000 in pre-seed funding from Y Combinator, building one-pound bird-like drones that travel up to 27 mph for stealthy surveillance.
Ornadyne - Robot Birds for Reconnaissance (YC Launch)
Y Combinator launch post introducing Ornadyne's flapping-wing surveillance drones, detailing the founders' aerospace backgrounds and the technology's advantages over traditional…
As The Crow Flies: Ornadyne's Bird-Mimicking Ornithopter O1 Targets Military Reconnaissance Missions
In-depth profile of Ornadyne's O1 ornithopter from SOF Week 2026, covering founders' backgrounds at NASA JPL and SpaceX, biomimetic flapping-wing technology, and the goal to…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/ornadyne.md
- RSS feed: /companies/ornadyne/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/9f6458fb-8b14-41c5-b418-520a22433875
- Revision history: /companies/ornadyne/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- DJI9 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- Skydio6 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
Video
Official YC launch video for Ornadyne, building robot birds for reconnaissance. Drones that look, fly, and sound like real birds.
Heat Index
Category contender75/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Ornadyne draws attention at the 5th percentile but verifies reality at the 32nd percentile among aerial robots. Hype Gap -26.4, 91st widest among aerial robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 2 verified deployments. Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Oct 13, 2026