Guilhem de Marliave, CEO & Co-Founder at Elistair: Over €8 Million Raised to Build the Future of Aerial Surveillance and Security

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Guilhem de Marliave, Co-Founder & CEO of Elistair, a tethered drone manufacturer that's raised over €8 Million in funding, about why a new generation of tethered drones fills a critical niche in the contemporary information economy. By eliminating the restrictions of short battery life and broadening the compliance with certain regulations against flying, Elistair is developing a unique niche in the rapidly-maturing drone market, where specific tools for specific tasks looks set to be the future.

We also speak about Guilhem’s first-hand experiences dealing with the limitations of free-flying drones, the inspiration for the ‘tethered drone’ concept, the strategic and practical benefits of tethered drones for certain critical tasks, and why Elistair’s offering is a supplement, not a replacement, for the free-flying models most of us associate with drone technology.

Topics Discussed:

• Guilhem’s experiences in the nascent drone sector, and his inspiration for developing tethered models
• The limitations of free-flying drones, and how the tethered system helps overcome many of them
• The critical spaces in which tethered drones have a clear advantage over free-flying drones, but why they’re not a replacement for every function
• The slow pace of regulations compared to the development of technology, and why tech firms need to work with regulators to build a system that works for everyone
• The current state of the drone sector, and the handful of companies really leading the process of innovation
• How the drone market is maturing into one where specific models for specific tasks looks set to be the future

Favorite book: 

The Roots of Evil: A Postmodern Exploration of the Unintended Consequences of Civilization