# Drones lead investors (2026 list)

> 76 drones lead investors, 93% active in the last 12 months. Led by Y Combinator, Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst. Ranked by what they funded.

Source: https://millionrounds.com/lists/drone-lead-investors (Millionrounds; every figure on the page links to its filing or article)

[Investor Lists](https://millionrounds.com/lists)

# Drones lead investors

Updated 7 November 2026

Firms we have watched lead a round raised by a drones company in the last two years. Leading is rarer than taking part, and it is the role a founder most needs filled.

[See all 76 *→*](https://millionrounds.com/login?join=1&next=%2Fapp%2Finvestor-lists%2Fdrone-lead-investors)The top 25

**76** investors on the list *+5* this week

**2,765** cheques in 12 months *+7%* against the market

**$17M** median round they joined *+111%* against the market median

**93%** wrote a cheque in 12 months

**100%** have led a round

## The Top 25

Ordered by cheques observed, never by anything anyone paid for

Deploying now (25)

- 1 [Y Combinator](https://millionrounds.com/fund/y-combinator) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **6,412** **$3M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 2 [Sequoia Capital](https://millionrounds.com/fund/sequoia-capital) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **2,099** **$35M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 3 [General Catalyst](https://millionrounds.com/fund/general-catalyst) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **1,387** **$27M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 4 [Lightspeed Venture Partners](https://millionrounds.com/fund/lightspeed-venture-partners) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **1,341** **$35M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 5 [Founders Fund](https://millionrounds.com/fund/founders-fund) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **1,122** **$15M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 6 [Bessemer Venture Partners](https://millionrounds.com/fund/bessemer-venture-partners) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **1,038** **$30M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 7 [Index Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/index-ventures) *Deploying now* VC firm · United Kingdom **1,027** **$31M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 8 [First Round Capital](https://millionrounds.com/fund/first-round-capital) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **807** **$18M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 9 [DFJ](https://millionrounds.com/fund/dfj) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **526** **$52M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 10 [8VC](https://millionrounds.com/fund/8vc) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **497** **$23M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 11 [Draper Associates](https://millionrounds.com/fund/draper-associates) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **370** **$6M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 12 [Balderton Capital](https://millionrounds.com/fund/balderton-capital) *Deploying now* VC firm · United Kingdom **368** **$30M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 13 [Paradigm](https://millionrounds.com/fund/paradigm) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **177** **$14M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 14 [360 Capital](https://millionrounds.com/fund/360-capital) *Deploying now* VC firm · France **167** **$7.8M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 15 [IQ Capital](https://millionrounds.com/fund/iq-capital) *Deploying now* VC firm · United Kingdom **165** **$17M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 16 [Greenoaks](https://millionrounds.com/fund/greenoaks) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **121** **$115M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 17 [Blackstone Group](https://millionrounds.com/fund/blackstone-group) *Deploying now* Private equity · United States **98** **$200M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 18 [GIC](https://millionrounds.com/fund/gic) *Deploying now* Private equity · Singapore **92** **$200M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 19 [Main Sequence Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/main-sequence) *Deploying now* VC firm · Australia **84** **$13M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 20 [Baillie Gifford](https://millionrounds.com/fund/baillie-gifford) *Deploying now* Asset manager · United Kingdom **61** **$260M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 21 [Motorola Solutions Venture Capital](https://millionrounds.com/fund/motorola-solutions-venture-capital) *Deploying now* Corporate VC · United States **60** **$58M** median round **Jul 2026** last seen
- 22 [Advent International](https://millionrounds.com/fund/advent-international) *Deploying now* Private equity · United States **59** **$740M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 23 [Altimeter](https://millionrounds.com/fund/altimeter-capital) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **59** **$260M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 24 [UVC Partners](https://millionrounds.com/fund/uvc-partners) *Deploying now* VC firm · Germany **55** **$14M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 25 [Third Prime](https://millionrounds.com/fund/third-prime) *Deploying now* VC firm · United States **53** **$7.5M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen

**51 more on this list**

All 76 are in the app, with filters for stage, sector and market. A free account shows 10 per search, Pro up to 1,000.

[See the whole list *→*](https://millionrounds.com/login?join=1&next=%2Fapp%2Finvestor-lists%2Fdrone-lead-investors)

## The Newest Cheques

Rounds this list's investors joined most recently

- **5** Nov **[Bizay](https://millionrounds.com/company/bizay)** Series D+ *Led by* [Indico Capital Partners](https://millionrounds.com/fund/indico-capital-partners)
- **5** Nov **[Zipline](https://millionrounds.com/company/zipline)** Growth · $1.5B *Led by* [Paradigm](https://millionrounds.com/fund/paradigm)
- **4** Nov **Sentra** Series C · $150M *With* [Bessemer Venture Partners](https://millionrounds.com/fund/bessemer-venture-partners)
- **4** Nov **[Nooks](https://millionrounds.com/company/nooks)** Growth · $500M *Led by* [General Catalyst](https://millionrounds.com/fund/general-catalyst)
- **4** Nov **[Phaze Inc.](https://millionrounds.com/company/phaze-inc)** Seed · $8.8M *With* [Index Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/index-ventures)
- **3** Nov **[Archiboost AI](https://millionrounds.com/company/archiboost-ai)** Pre-seed · $6.2M *Led by* [Marathon Venture Capital](https://millionrounds.com/fund/marathon-venture-capital)

## Stages This Year

2,233 rounds

- Venture **19%**
- Series A **17%**
- Seed **16%**
- Pre-seed **12%**
- Series B **9%**
- Other **26%**

## What They Backed

Sectors, last 12 months

- AI **1,167**
- Fintech **155**
- Big Data & Analytics **134**
- Aerospace & Space **105**
- Healthcare **102**
- Robotics **101**

## Cheques by Quarter

Led Joined

653 Q1 25

675 Q2 25

737 Q3 25

775 Q4 25

803 Q1 26

790 Q2 26

634 Q3 26

198 Q4 26

The last bar is the quarter still running.

## Lists Like This

- [AI lead investors 1,723](https://millionrounds.com/lists/ai-lead-investors)
- [Lead investors in United States 1,370](https://millionrounds.com/lists/lead-investors-in-united-states)
- [Seed lead investors 1,091](https://millionrounds.com/lists/seed-lead-investors)
- [Series A lead investors 920](https://millionrounds.com/lists/series-a-lead-investors)
- [Fintech lead investors 763](https://millionrounds.com/lists/fintech-lead-investors)
- [Series B lead investors 579](https://millionrounds.com/lists/series-b-lead-investors)
- [Growth lead investors 555](https://millionrounds.com/lists/growth-lead-investors)
- [Robotics lead investors 397](https://millionrounds.com/lists/robotics-lead-investors)
- [Pre-seed lead investors 396](https://millionrounds.com/lists/pre-seed-lead-investors)

[All investor lists *→*](https://millionrounds.com/lists)

## Quick answers about drones lead investors

### Who are the most active drones lead investors?

By cheques observed, the most active are Y Combinator, Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Founders Fund.

### How many drones lead investors are there?

76 are on record. 93% made an investment in the last 12 months and 100% have led a round.

### Which stages do drones lead investors back?

Of the rounds with a named stage in the last 12 months, mostly Series A (24%) and Seed (22%).

### How big are the rounds drones lead investors join?

The typical (median) round among the leading investors here is $30M.

### Which sectors do drones lead investors back most?

In the last 12 months, mostly AI, Fintech and Big Data & Analytics.

### Which drones lead investors lead the most rounds?

General Catalyst (97 led), Sequoia Capital (91 led) and Lightspeed Venture Partners (83 led).

### Where are drones lead investors based?

Among the most active, most are based in the United States (17), the United Kingdom (4) and France (1).

### What have drones lead investors invested in recently?

Recent rounds include Bizay (Series D+, Nov 2026, with Indico Capital Partners), Zipline (Growth, Nov 2026, with Paradigm) and Sentra (Series C, Nov 2026, with Bessemer Venture Partners).

Built from the rounds we watched, refreshed every night. [How we count](https://millionrounds.com/methodology) · [Report a correction](https://millionrounds.com/corrections)