Image credit: Sora Technology
SORA Technology, which provides malaria prevention solutions using drones and AI, announced a pre-Series A funding round on the 9th. The third-party allocation of shares was underwritten by Nissay Capital (Fund No. 14 and Nissay Capital Sustainability Solutions Fund), SMBC Venture Capital, DRONE FUND, Central Japan Seed Fund, and Rheos Capital Partners. The amount raised in this round was not disclosed. The company has raised a total of 670 million yen to date, including loans.
Founded in June 2020, the company aims to solve social issues in emerging countries, particularly focusing on solving challenges in global health and realizing an air mobility society in emerging countries in Asia and Africa.
Malaria prevention is listed as the company’s main business. By combining drones and AI technology, they provide solutions to efficiently identify and manage water puddles that become breeding sources for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Their “SORA Malaria Control” is a malaria prevention solution combining drones and AI. Malaria continues to wreak havoc in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, with about 250 million people infected annually and approximately 600,000 losing their lives.
Conventional malaria prevention primarily focused on approaches targeting adult mosquitoes, which are the source of malaria infection, such as mosquito nets and insecticide spraying. However, Sora Technology adopts the method of LSM (Larval Source Management), which manages water puddles where mosquito larvae live.
Specifically, by flying their self-developed fixed-wing drone, they detect water puddles from a wide area. AI identifies water puddles with a high risk of mosquito larvae occurrence, and insecticide is sprayed. This makes it possible to efficiently control the number of mosquitoes, eliminating the need for manual searching of water puddles.
In addition, they are also developing businesses that utilize drones for last-mile delivery of medicines and vaccines in areas with undeveloped logistics infrastructure, and introducing Japan’s drone operation management system (UTM) to emerging countries to support safe management and efficient operation of airspace by multiple operators.
Furthermore, they contribute to the development of medical facilities through data analytics businesses, such as building digital layout maps for construction sites in emerging countries where design drawings do not exist, using aerial photography data and sensing technology from drones. They also handle institutional design and licensing businesses that build the foundation for drone introduction and air mobility popularization in emerging countries by operating drone pilot training schools and supporting legal development.
With this funding as an opportunity, Sora Technology will expand its business in Africa. They also plan to advance service enhancement, such as improving AI.
via PR TIMES
