Droneversity wins Swim with the Sharks competition

November 8, 2024 2

WILMINGTON — Ashlee Cooper is well versed in the art of reinvention. She was a molecular microbiologist when the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed her to stay home with her daughter and venture into event planning on the side.

Four years later, it evolved into a drone workforce training and services company that won the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce Emerging Enterprise Center’s 12th annual Swim with the Sharks pitch competition in September.

The Wilmington-based start-up founder said it all started when she was struggling to take a photo of a large balloon structure she designed for a baby shower. Cooper tried to stand on a chair to get the best view for the photo and someone told her she really needed a drone for that.

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“I waved them off, but I heard about an opportunity so I took a class in Philadelphia. It took two days to get my certification and I became a federal drone pilot. In hindsight, I can only say I got into this because I had too much time on my hands,” Cooper said with a laugh.

To legally fly drones, pilots must be at least 16 years old and pass a Federal Aviation Administration exam. After getting her own license, Cooper turned around and started teaching classes with the same organization. That planted the seeds to start Drone Navigation in 2021, the precursor for Droneversity.

“When I first started, I didn’t know you needed a license. I figured there was a way to present the information and expand how drones can be used,” she said. “I almost felt like I had been almost missing out on opportunities, so we expanded into becoming superior service providers.”

Droneversity was one of five companies competing in the Swim with the Sharks competition, along with sustainable hair care company Color & Blow, coding education startup Kai Coders, Rehoboth Beach coffee bean roaster Coffee Rendezbrew and nanotechnology research company Sindri Materials Corp.

Cooper was selected as the winner at the Sept. 25 event, rounding out the EEC’s annual Entrepreneurial Summit held this year at Penn Cinema in Wilmington. She was awarded a $10,000 cash prize, a yearlong membership into the county chamber and the EEC’s incubator program, as well as more funding in marketing opportunities.

Coffee Rendezbrew was the runner up and was awarded $2,500. People’s Choice awardee Sindri Materials received $1,000.

Last year, Cooper and Droneversity were runner ups at the same competition, and were beat out by Trash Porters. Since then, Cooper said there were more business opportunities to help grow the company beyond the 2023 pitch of drone soccer to focusing on photography, home inspections, and agriculture services.

“Drones are a tool, and we’ve had people come to our classes looking to add a new skill. We focus on providing the infrastructure for some companies’ needs, like inspecting solar panels and wind turbines, or working with small and medium-sized farms to count or spray crops,” she said. “With farms, that’s something that maybe took two days in the past and it can now take 40 minutes covering the same ground.”

Cooper said that this win was personal, but was excited to share her passion once again with others. The day of the competition was not without a few glitches though.

“There were issues with the PowerPoint and I didn’t even have time to be apologetic about what didn’t show. That did add a heightened level of stress, but it worked out the best it could,” she said. “But as a small business owner, I’m always spending my time pitching. It may not always be a large audience, but I’m constantly selling to expand my customer base.”

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With the winnings from the Swim with the Sharks competition, Cooper is now gearing up to buy more equipment so she can expand Droneversity’s event services sections. Namely, she’s looking into equipment for light shows via drones.

“Light shows typically use hundreds to thousands of drones and we’re looking into getting the basics and more advanced training on the equipment to start with smaller shows,” she said.

Cooper is already looking in new ways to advertise her business, even though the competition has already given her a marketing lift. Droneversity is set to appear at the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Farmers Conference 2024 on Nov. 12.

“We’re seeing a lot of people interested and wanting to learn more and enrolling in our classes. Even though we’re offering a new project, it’s also a way to promote our educational opportunities as well,” she said.