Ellie Horvath
Kirill Shilov of Sky-Drones Technologies Ltd.
Tell us about yourself?
Kirill is Founder and CEO of Sky-Drones Technologies Ltd, a London based company which designs and manufactures avionics for enterprise unmanned aerial vehicles. Kirill has received a Global Talent Award in Digital Technology by Tech Nation UK.
In addition to scientific and engineering experience Kirill has an entrepreneurship skillset, he is a winner of business pitch competitions and startup acceleration programs in the US and Europe.
Sky-Drones Technologies has worldwide customers based in the US, UK and Europe and has received a Future Flight Challenge Award funding by the UK Research and Innovation for developing mobility technology of the future.
Kirill’s professional areas of interest include control systems, software development, electronics, embedded programming, flight dynamics, aerodynamics.
Additionally, he is a CAA Private Pilot Licence candidate. Kirill received his Master of Science degree with honors in Aerospace Engineering majoring in Flight Dynamics and Control and Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Applied Math and Physics.
Before starting Sky-Drones full time he worked as a software engineer at ACSL in Tokyo, Japan and Perspective Robotics AG in Zürich, Switzerland.
What lessons has being an entrepreneur taught you?
It’s important to find the right balance between the investment and its return and feel the market to be with the right product in the right time.
If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Act faster, build up more partnership and customers and commit towards larger scale. It’s important to be concentrated on a first customers as their success will become your success.
A lot of entrepreneurs find it difficult to balance their work and personal lives. How have you found that?
You need to do what you really love and in that case your work will become your life. Entrepreneurship takes a lot of time but also gives flexibility which is a good thing for personal life.
Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?
We creates professional full stack UAV avionics solutions (hardware and software) including flight control, ground control and communication systems as well as a cloud based management platform.
The company helps its global customers to build and operate drones for security and commercial applications. Sky-Drones has an outstanding background in research and development, as well as manufacturing and delivering products and solutions for the future UAV market.
What do you think is your magic sauce? What sets you apart from the competitors?
Our magic sauce is in building both hardware and software ecosystem for drone manufacturers and commercial drone service providers.
How have you found sales so far? Do you have any lessons you could pass on to other founders in the same market as you just starting out?
Each customer is unique and it’s important to concentrate on their specific requirements. Pick up a few promising customers with whom you can grow and make them successful.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced so far in your business, and how did you overcome it?
Being at the forefront of the industry without established regulations is the biggest challenge. To overcome this we work closely with the government authorities.
What do you find are the advantages of operating your business in London?
Well developed financial system, banking, global hub.
Are there any issues with having a London based business? Have you experienced these?
The cost of development is expensive but it’s well balanced with high concentration of talents.
How has the higher than UK average cost of living impacted your ability to work and live in London and how has this also impacted your ability as an employer?
Higher cost of living creates competitive environment and attracts talents. Therefore, the results we get balance out the higher costs of living.
If you had to relocate your business to another city in the UK, which one would it be and why?
Only London, we wouldn’t move anywhere else from here.
How has BREXIT impacted your business (if at all)?
No impact except additional paperwork.
What is your vision for your company in the next 5 years?
We would like to become the major commercial drone technology provider in the UK and start expanding globally.
And finally, if people want to get involved and learn more about your business, how should they do that?
The best is to contact us via website at https://sky-drones.com/contact-us or social media (LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/sky-drones).
Follow Sky-Drones Technologies Ltd on Twitter or Linkedin.
