When we launched as Skyqraft in 2019, we were a drone and AI startup, and our primary focus was on improving overhead line inspections. We’d fly the line, upload thousands of images, use our AI-powered software to analyze every component, and then deliver detailed results to maintenance managers. They’d know what to expect in the field before they’d even booked a bucket truck. 

Our computer vision technology has allowed them to see details like tiny cracks on insulators that wouldn’t be visible from a helicopter or ground inspection, and to spot undergrowth or tree branches before they create a dangerous vegetation infringement.  

Since then, and in large thanks to the trust we were given by our early customers, we’ve evolved into a leading provider of asset analytics for some of the world’s most innovative utilities. 

‍

A journey beyond drones

Today, we work with in-house teams or trusted partners who fly the grid, so we can concentrate our efforts on delivering scalable, reliable data on asset conditions that helps utilities move into the future, faster. The data we first started gathering from overhead line inspections can be put to an even more powerful use. 

The name Skyqraft was a reflection of our strong starting position, but it doesn’t fit where we’re going.  So from today, we’re stepping into the future as Arkion. 

Our customers are still using our software  to find all those broken insulators, fallen tree branches, and flag high-risk defects.  But while grid owners need good data for their routine work, they also need long-term intelligence to keep the lights on for generations to come. Utilities are using our product to do longer-term things: analyze corrosion on steelwork, prioritize repairs and capacity planning over years, rather than days and weeks. 

This helps grid owners shift toward more preventive maintenance, risk minimization, and data-driven investment planning. This is all in service of one of the planet’s most pressing challenges: how to supply continuous, affordable, safe electricity to a growing population that is increasingly  moving away from fossil fuels.

‍

Our place in the energy transition

Demands on the grid are predicted to double by 2045, and utilities need sustainable, cost-effective ways to increase their capacity, and their ability to deliver that electricity everywhere it’s needed. There are so many important players working to meet these challenges, including wind, solar, microgrids, and support from innovative software and hardware companies across the industry.  

We talk about the “net-zero future” but what it really means is a future where energy infrastructure is safeguarded for generations of people just like us. It’s lighting dark roads for long night drives home to family; it’s essential hospital equipment and ventilation systems; it’s powering internet connectivity for schools, homes, and communities. It’s being able to ditch the combustion engines and move to EVs and reliable rail journeys. It’s warm holiday light displays, and cool summer music festivals. Sustainable, affordable, and supporting human lives on a healthier planet. 

At Arkion, we believe that this is the most exciting part of the technology sector to be in. It’s a space of strong collaboration between mission-driven companies who are all committed to helping the energy sector keep the lights on for the next century and beyond, and we couldn’t be prouder to be part of it. 

We’re the same team, with the same product—and we’re growing fast. Our new name and brand identity have been an opportunity to restate our mission, not just to our customers but also to ourselves. And to renew our commitment to being part of the energy transition.  

So today, we re-introduce ourselves as Arkion, and we take a big step toward the net-zero future, driven by what it really means, and who it’s actually for. 

‍