Prenav
San Carlos CA drone startup founded 2013; develops autonomous inspection drones and PRENAV.XYZ AI platform for 3D digital twin inspection of bridges, dams.
PRENAV Inc. is a California-based drone technology company founded in October 2013, headquartered in San Carlos, California. The company was founded by Nathan Schuett, who serves as CEO. PRENAV raised $7.71 million in total funding over four rounds, including a $6.5 million seed round led by Crosslink Capital with participation from Haystack, Liquid 2 Ventures, and WI Harper Group.
PRENAV develops autonomous drone systems and AI-powered software platforms for the inspection of critical civil and industrial infrastructure. The company's technology combines precision drone navigation, photogrammetry, and deep learning to enable systematic visual inspection of large structures such as bridges, dams, power plants, tunnels, buildings, cell towers, and wind turbines — assets that are difficult, costly, or hazardous to inspect manually.
The core software product is PRENAV.XYZ, a web-based cloud platform that processes imagery captured by drones or other camera and LiDAR systems to generate detailed 3D point clouds using photogrammetry. Users navigate the 3D model in a standard web browser without specialized desktop software. Integrated machine learning models automatically detect structural defects including cracking in concrete, spalling, exposed rebar, cracks in steel, and rust, with findings overlaid on the 3D point cloud and in high-resolution imagery. Detected damage can be marked, measured, and incorporated into formal inspection reports. Additional defect detection models can be trained and deployed for customer-specific asset types.
PRENAV's autonomous drone hardware system consists of an unmanned aerial vehicle paired with a ground-based guidance robot. The guidance robot first scans the target structure and then directs the drone around it with centimeter-level positional accuracy, enabling repeatable, systematic coverage of complex geometries impractical with manually piloted drones.
As of 2025, PRENAV operates with approximately 14 employees and maintains a presence across North America, Asia, and Europe. The company serves asset owners and engineering firms in civil infrastructure, energy, and industrial sectors.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
PRENAV.XYZ Inspection Platform
Web-based AI platform combining photogrammetry and deep learning to generate 3D digital twins of infrastructure and automatically detect cracks, spalling, and corrosion.
Autonomous Drone Inspection System
Autonomous drone and ground guidance robot system for centimeter-accurate, repeatable inspection of towers, turbines, bridges, and industrial structures.
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Contact Prenav
WEBSITE
https://www.prenav.comPHONE
+1 (415) 851-1250HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
2013
Primary Role
Software/Algorithm
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
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