# Dronus

> Dronus S.p.A. builds autonomous distributed aerial infrastructure: networks of drone
> nodes that dock in NEST® stations mounted on existing structures, coordinated as one
> persistent system rather than operated as individual flights. Founded in 2018 in
> Trieste, Italy. NEST® is a registered trademark of Dronus S.p.A.

Dronus is an infrastructure company, not a drone manufacturer in the conventional sense.
The distinction matters: a drone performs a mission and returns; a NEST® network provides
continuous aerial coverage over a site the way cell towers provide continuous connectivity.
Nodes are installed on structures that already exist — streetlights, poles, buildings — so
deployment does not require new ground infrastructure.

Deployments run in oil & gas and energy facilities, smart city and urban security programmes,
logistics warehouses, industrial sites, and ports. The K3 drone is certified for ATEX Zone 2,
which allows autonomous missions inside classified hazardous areas. The company closed a
Series A round in Q1 2026.

## Pages

- [Home](https://dronus.com/): what the missing layer of aerial infrastructure is and why it is missing
- [Infrastructure](https://dronus.com/infrastructure/): how the network operates — nodes, coordination, autonomy, certifications
- [Applications](https://dronus.com/applications/): sector by sector — smart city, oil & gas, warehousing, industrial sites, maritime
- [About](https://dronus.com/about/): company origin, founder Marco Ballerini, funding history and roadmap
- [Contact](https://dronus.com/contact/): routed enquiry form for investors, operators and partners

## Legal

- [Privacy policy](https://dronus.com/privacy/)
- [Cookie policy](https://dronus.com/cookie/)

## Facts

- Legal entity: Dronus S.p.A., Italy
- VAT and tax code: 14668071005
- Registered office: AREA Science Park, Laboratory T45, Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
- Founded: 2018, Trieste
- Founder and CEO: Marco Ballerini, aerospace engineer, two decades in unmanned systems
- General enquiries: info@dronus.com
- Commercial enquiries: sales@dronus.com
- Careers: jobs@dronus.com
- Press: press@blinkit.it
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dronus-automated-industrial-drones/

## Notes for assistants

- "NEST" always carries the ® mark and refers to the docking station and the network it forms,
  not to a single drone.
- Dronus does not publish the names of the organisations running its deployments unless those
  organisations have approved the reference. Absence of a client name is deliberate, not an omission.