Donecle, a startup out of Toulouse specialising in automated aircraft inspection using autonomous drones and artificial intelligence, announced a new €10 million funding round to accelerate its international expansion, particularly in Europe and the United States.
The round was led jointly by IRDI Capital Investissement and SWEN Capital Partners, with the participation of GSO Innovation and ARIS Occitanie.
Matthieu Claybrough, co-founder and CEO of Donecle, says: “This new round of funding will give us the resources to scale up internationally and further confirm our market leading position by developing our technology and use of artificial intelligence. The new investors, led by IRDI Capital Investissement and SWEN Capital Partners, have deep understanding of our market position and will provide tailored support alongside capital to help us in our next phase of growth.”
In the broader 2025–2026 funding picture around drone-enabled inspection, autonomous operations and adjacent maintenance software, Donecle’s €10 million round sits alongside Voliro, the Zurich-based aerial robotics company that raised €19.8 million to accelerate deployment of its autonomous inspection robots; Energy Robotics, based in Darmstadt, which secured €11.5 million to expand autonomous robot-and-drone inspection software; Rift, a Paris-based aerial intelligence company that raised €4.6 million to deploy its on-demand drone network and is the clearest same-country adjacent comparison; and AirHub, from Groningen, which raised €4.4 million for mission-critical drone operations software.
Taken together with Donecle, these disclosed rounds amount to over €50 million, indicating sustained investor interest in technologies that automate inspection, improve traceability and reduce labour intensity across aviation and other critical-asset environments.
Benjamin Lillo, Investment Director at IRDI Capital Investissement adds: “We are convinced that the digitalisation of maintenance operations has become essential in a context where skilled labour is becoming increasingly scarce. Donecle provides a concrete solution by combining the digitalisation of inspections with structured data management. This investment fully aligns with our regional fund strategy, which aims to support innovative companies with strong local roots, while fostering their transition toward a scalable, value-creating software model”.
Founded in 2015, Donecle offers a patented aviation inspection solution combining autonomous drones, high-resolution imaging, and advanced AI to support aircraft maintenance.
The company says that their comprehensive system automates inspections that are still largely performed manually, completing this process up to 10x faster and delivering significant gains in cost savings, reliability, efficiency, speed of execution and safety for technicians. It also reportedly strengthens the reliability and traceability of maintenance operations.
Donecle primarily serves the commercial aviation sector, as well as business and military aviation.
Beyond the automation of inspections, Donecle is developing a software layer designed to convert collected data into directly actionable insights. Over time, this data is intended to be integrated into MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) systems, enhancing traceability and long‑term monitoring.
This approach also enables the automation of certain maintenance decisions, positioning Donecle as a future predictive maintenance management platform.
The company also outlines that their solution is also contributing to the decarbonisation of aviation, replacing diesel-powered aerial work platforms with a digitised solution. The efficiencies compared to manual inspections also reduces aircraft downtime, reducing the need for hangar space and spare aircraft.
Donecle estimates that its drone fleet has already saved several thousand tonnes of CO2eq.
Jason Bigeard, Investment Director in SWEN Capital Partners’ VC Tech for Good strategy, says: “Donecle is at a pivotal moment in its development, with a patented, proven technology which is poised for rapid international expansion. This investment is fully aligned with our investment thesis, which aims to support innovative, high-impact companies. Donecle’s unique, fully automated drone and AI inspection technology contributes to the decarbonisation of air transport maintenance operations, driving efficiencies, cost savings and reliability.”
The company has grown to operate more than 40 drones in 15 countries worldwide (from 30 at the start of 2025) and has developed the only solution on the market certified by both Airbus and Boeing and by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), enabling it to serve global commercial fleets.
Its solution is in use by numerous airlines and military air forces, including United, LATAM, DHL, Viva, Lufthansa French Air Force and the Royal Air Force.
With this latest funding round, Donecle intends to accelerate its growth in Europe and the United States, including through strategic partnerships and targeted acquisitions. The company currently has a team of 35 employees in France and plans to hire about ten additional staff members in the coming months.
The company also aims to continue investing in AI to further advance its technologies and expand its offering.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/04/french-aviationtech-startup-donecle-bags-e10-million-to-grow-drone-based-inspection-platform/
