how the DJI of light show drones came to dominate

When it comes to the drones that fly during drone shows, there isn’t much in the way of drones that are a household name the way DJI is when it comes to camera drones. But that’s quickly changing, and it’s all due to UVify.

The American drone maker is the team that makes drones for all sorts of light show drone companies, including Illumin (which was recently named the official drone light show provider for the City of Toronto), Sky Elements and Pixis Drones. UVify is currently headquartered in Seattle, with plans to move to San Francisco in 2025, though drones are actually made in South Korea.

And with a market share of approximately 90% in North America, the drone has earned a reputation within the niche drone show industry as a global leader in drone entertainment.

Here’s what you need to know about the company that could very soon become just as well-known in the drone industry as a name like DJI.

UVify’s drone show dominance

UVify wasn’t always a maker of light show drones. The company was founded in South Korea in 2014 by PhDs in aerospace engineering. It’s gone through a few different iterations. For example, it had a brief period where it tried manufactured consumer-oriented products: the award-winning  UVify Draco racing drone and OOri smart micro racing drone. And while primarily focused on light shows, even today UVify has its hands in a few different aspects of drones, including via a collaboration with DARPA on swarm drone technologies.

UVify raised a $4 million Series A over a decade ago and has since achieved profitability — something that is hardly true of many Silicon Valley companies today. Though privately held, they remain open to strategic investments.

Today, UVify estimates that it has approximately a 90% market share for light show drones in North America. Though not independently verified by The Drone Girl, UVify claims it has sold more drones in North America than all competitors combined, and that its drones have logged more flight hours and conducted more overall drone shows than any other company in the industry.

UVify is also the team behind multiple record-breaking drone shows, as confirmed by Guinness World Records. Some of those have to do with shows that are large in size, such as a record set in May 2024 for most drones flown simultaneously. It has also put on record-breaking shows in collaboration with its clients, such as a Sky Elements drone show that shaped 2,484 UVify IFO drones into a hummingbird in the sky for IAAPA 2024, 

The IFO: UVify’s flagship light show drone

After experimenting with all sorts of products including, yes, once a racing drone, the company’s light show drone — called the UVify’s IFO (Identified Flying Object) — today is the company’s flagship product. Here are some key specs around that drone:

• Waterproof rating of IP43
• Wind speed resistance: up to 20 m/s (45 mph)
• Drone max flight time: 26 minutes
• Weight of drone: 682 grams
• Dimensions of drone: 275x275x120 mm (somewhat comparable to something like the DJI Air 3S drone)

When you buy light show drones through UVify, you get a turnkey system with everything you need to get started launching your own light show business including training, hardware, software, 24/7 support every day of the year, and access to the company’s Fleet Augmentation Bank (more on that later).

UVify sells their drones for about $1,300 each. Though, you can’t buy just one. You need at least a small fleet to put on a drone show, so be prepared to spend much more than $1,300. To buy one, you’ll have to go through a UVify sales representative directly. Turns out, you can’t just shop for a high-end light show drone on Amazon).

Want to buy a UVify IFO drone? Mention UVify promo code DGIFO to your UVify sales representative to receive a 5% discount plus an additional free battery and set of high-performance props per IFO. 

What about pyro drones?

UVify also launched a module that can turn UVify drones into something more — a pyro drone too. It’s called the IFO-P, and it costs about $500 extra per module deck. With it, you can load a gerb (a type of spark spewing firework) onto the module, which has its own firing system. From there, the pyro operator can work with the chief drone pilot to decide when to launch the pyro.

Sky Elements, who uses the IFO, was the first drone show company to receive FAA approval to perform a pyro drone show in the U.S. The company holds the Guinness World Record for most pyro launched from drones. Watch a behind-the-scenes video for that show here:

Of course, incorporating pyro into a drone show costs more than just $1,300 per drone plus $500 for the module. Budget for fireworks for every show. Unlike drones, the pyro isn’t reusable.

Revolutionizing the industry with the FAB Rental Model

UVify’s FAB (Fleet Augmentation by UVify) rental model makes professional-grade light shows accessible to businesses of all sizes. This innovative approach eliminates the need for customers to purchase or maintain massive drone fleets. Instead, existing UVify can borrow additional drones needed to put on larger than average shows by way of accessing UVify’s rental bank.

In exchange for getting to borrow drones, UVify’s customers must agree to split the revenue from the contract 50-50 with UVify. So, if a UVify customer had 100 drones but needed 200 for a show, they could borrow 100 from UVify. Say the contract is worth $60,000 (thus $300 per drone), then the operator would keep $45,000 while paying $15,000 to UVify in exchange for renting 100 additional drones.

UVify: a company to watch in 2025

Events like IAAPA 2024 made it clear that drone light shows are in demand everywhere, from small weddings to big theme park displays. As the drone light show industry grows, UVify is a company to watch. 

Companies that use UVify drones now range from major, nationwide drone light show companies to small, local drone show operators. Names include Pinnacle Drone Light Shows, which is based in Oakland, California and Sky Lites, which is based in Oregon.

So where can you find them going forward? Next up, UVify will be exhibiting at Cobra-Con 2025, which is a massive show for pyrotechnic professionals in Muncie, Indiana running from April 10-12, 2025. UVify COO Robert Cheek will be speaking and showing off UVify’s heavy-lift pyro drone called the Vulcan. And there’s another reason why UVify’s appearance at Cobra-Con might make it one of the top drone events of 2025. That’s because UVify will even put on a drone show incorporating its pyro drones.

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