About
Built by R&D.
Led from the front.
Dronehub engineers the autonomous infrastructure behind drone operations that have to work — in defense, energy, rail, and sovereign logistics. Founded 2015 in Aviation Valley, Rzeszów. Today, US-owned and headquartered in the Research Triangle, North Carolina, with sovereign EU manufacturing depth at the Jasionka factory. SBIR/STTR-eligible. Section 848 / 889 / 1260H compliant from inception.
The only European company to respond to the European Space Agency's 2017 RFI.
Vadym Melnyk founded Dronehub in 2015 from a university pre-incubator in Rzeszow. In late 2017, the European Space Agency issued a Request for Information to roughly 50 European drone companies looking for an autonomous drone hub partner. Only one responded. The resulting $270K contract pivoted the company from services consulting to a product-first identity.
In the decade since, Vadym has been named to Forbes three times — Forbes Poland in 2020 and 2023, and Forbes Ukraine in 2024 (selected by a panel that included Valery Zaluzhny). Dronehub ranks #2 in Europe in the Financial Times 1000 Aerospace & Defense category, and was named global category leader for autonomous Drone-in-a-Box by Drone Industry Insights. The European Defence Agency scored Dronehub 98 out of 100 on its CBRN programme — the first startup ever to work directly with the European Defence Agency.
Vadym is a Ukrainian founder, building from the country that has — in the last three years — become the world's center of gravity for combat-drone innovation. He holds a US EB1A green card (2024) and consistently describes himself as "Tony Stark, not Elon Musk."
Endorsements
Vouched for by the people who have worked with us.
On the record — from a Deutsche Bahn director, a former Polish plenipotentiary for UAVs, and an aerospace-and-radar veteran of GE, SAAB, and Sensis.
“An incredibly talented and accomplished entrepreneur in the UAV industry — a pioneer and leader in drone technology.”
“Vadym has extraordinary abilities both as an innovator and an efficient manager. He represents a new generation of talents that focus on making the world better.”
“Despite his young age, he built a company of genuinely talented engineers and brought real innovation to market.”
“Together we created a solution for fence security and monitoring ahead of anything available on the European market.”
“I recommend Vadym as a brilliant manager, engineer, and CEO — and a strong leader.”
“Vadym is a very talented engineer, innovator, and entrepreneur.”
In his own words
From the founder.
“If it weren't for that one email in 2017, Dronehub wouldn't exist today.”
“We're an ecosystem of autonomous drones, ground infrastructure, and AI software — designed to fully automate monitoring and data collection.”
“Discipline matters more than motivation.”
“Performing inspections of large industrial sites by humans is already a waste of money and time.”
“If you build a business to make money, you burn out.”
“A drone is a flying camera. The autonomy is in the infrastructure.”
Timeline
A decade in autonomous drone infrastructure.
- 2015
Founded in Aviation Valley
Dronehub launches from the WSIiZ Academic Pre-incubator at Aeropolis, Rzeszow — Poland's aerospace cluster.
- 2017
European Space Agency contract pivots the company
European Space Agency issues an RFI to ~50 EU drone companies. We're the only one to respond. The ~$270K tender becomes the inflection point — services consulting gives way to product.
- 2020
Forbes Poland — Top 25 Under 25
Founder Vadym Melnyk named to Forbes Poland in the Business category. The drone-in-a-box product line moves to full commercial focus.
- 2021
First $1M revenue year
Drone-in-a-box deployments scale across oil & gas, rail, and defense. Warsaw office opens at Varso Place (Cambridge Innovation Center).
- 2022
GENIUS NY accelerator + US market entry
Selected for the GENIUS NY drone accelerator in Syracuse, NY — $500K non-dilutive grant. The US foothold begins.
- 2023
$7.5M production line at Jasionka
Manufacturing capacity expansion in the Aviation Valley aerospace cluster, funded in part by a $2.75M Polish government factory grant. Vadym named to Forbes Poland's 30 Under 30.
- 2024
US incorporation + federal pipeline
Dronehub Inc. formalized in the US. Vadym receives EB1A approval. First US manufacturing and customer installations. Forbes Ukraine — 30 Under 30, with Valery Zaluzhny on the evaluation panel.
- 2025
Jasionka factory fully online · Research Triangle US base
The Jasionka production line goes fully operational — the manufacturing backbone for IP licensing and sovereign EU production. US headquarters relocates to the Research Triangle, North Carolina, co-located with the federal-innovation and aerospace cluster around RTP.
- 2026
Repositioned as infrastructure licensor
Strategic reframe from product vendor to IP licensing + R&D partnerships + sovereign manufacturing. SBIR/STTR pipeline opens.
Recognition
Independent third-party signals.
We don't pick the people who hand out these. The validation is the point.
- Forbes Poland25 under 252020
- Forbes Poland30 under 302023
- Forbes Ukraine30 under 302024
- Financial Times 1000#2 in EuropeAerospace & Defense2024–25
- Drone Industry InsightsGlobal LeaderDrone-in-a-Box
- European Defence Agency98/100 on CBRN programmeFirst startup to work with the agency
- GENIUS NY accelerator$500K non-dilutiveRound 62022
- US headquartersResearch TriangleNorth Carolina2025
- Jasionka factoryFully online 2025$7.5M production lineNATO Europe
- Patent-pending IPActive filingsGlobal portfolio
Why we build
Drones are easy. Making them autonomous, sovereign, and operational at scale isn't.
We don't sell drones. We license the infrastructure — charging stations, docking, mission logistics — and partner on the AI drone projects that turn fleets into sovereign operations. Engineered in Europe, deployed allied. The work that takes a decade to do, we've done.