Parrot has had an interesting week. Many were expecting a new drone from the famous drone maker (among other things). But when you think about drones, chances are you are picturing a quadcopter in your mind. Instead, the company unveiled and airplane-like drone with two wings.
I had the chance to interview Parrot founder and CEO Henri Seydoux on our stage so that he could share a bit more about his vision of the drone industry. Parrot is capturing the market on multiple fronts.
First, there are the consumer drones like Parrot’s new Disco drone. Millions of people are now buying drones because they want to fly above the ocean and bring back a video. And Parrot is one of the most successful consumer drone maker in the world with kid-friendly drones and drones for enthusiasts.
Second, there are the cool not-so-futuristic applications. Parrot is a big software and hardware maker when it comes to agriculture use cases for instance.
Third, there are now dozens of companies releasing drones of all kinds. When I asked Seydoux if Parrot would be the leading drone maker, his answer was a resounding yes. Parrot was created in 1994. The company started working on drones nearly ten years ago. That’s the equivalent of half a century in startup years.

