From the garden bench to the forest, without skipping steps
Velaya is in phase 1: firmware, network and power on a real test bench. We publish the state as it is, because a wildfire detection project cannot afford to overstate anything.
Roadmap
- Phase0In progress
Demand validation
Letters of intent, pilot zone selection
0–6 months 3–5 LOIs - Phase1In progress
Detection (LoRa)
Nodes, gateway and dashboard; subscription
6–18 months Detection time, false alarms, uptime - Phase2Design
Observer drone
Drone-in-a-box station, video on alert
18–30 months Alert → image < 5 min - Phase3Planned
Suppressor drone
Small-focus suppression, through partnership
30–48 months Knock-down in tests - Phase4Planned
Network
Monitoring as a service, 112 integration
48+ months Hectares covered, contracts
Even Dryad did not build its own suppressor drone: an external manufacturer did, on a ministry grant. Partnering on heavy hardware is the industry norm, not a weakness.
Right now
Phase 1 · Field test bench
What it proves
- Firmware and network stability over weeks
- Solar power under real weather
- The full chain: node → radio → network server → dashboard → alert
- Background gas profile and response to controlled smouldering
What it does not prove
- Propagation under the forest canopy at 100 m spacing
- A network of dozens of nodes
- The real false-alarm background of live woodland
That is why we ask for a forest pilot: it is the only honest way to test it.
Fire test rules
In the Valencian Community the use of fire is tightly restricted, and in summer it is banned outright. Our tests use a beekeeper's smoker on a concrete pad with water at hand, and only outside the risk season. A wildfire detection company cannot end up in the wrong headline.
Why Alicante
The shortest administrative path available
Municipal woodland at the wildland-urban interface, with the land owned by the city and municipal firefighters who have a genuine interest in the test.
Around it: Alicante Futura and ImpulsAlicante, the University of Alicante Science Park, CEEI and Distrito Digital. Several doors in parallel, not a single dependency.
Capital efficiency
From zero to a field pilot for the price of a second-hand scooter
- ≈ €800–950
- Phase 1 · test bench
- ≈ €800–1,100
- Phase 2 · institutional entry
- ≈ €3,100–3,300
- Phase 3 · forest pilot
8 nodes, gateway, instruments
company and insurance, on trigger
40 nodes, outdoor gateway, reserve
Competitors raised millions to reach this point. The team's capital efficiency is a verifiable fact, and it is part of the investment case.
Funding after the pilot
| Source | What it gives | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| IVACE and regional grants | Valencian Community funding | After phase 3 |
| EIC Accelerator | Up to €2.5M grant and €10M equity | Phases 2–3, with a working pilot |
| Sector calls | Wildfire and space, zero equity | Monitored continuously |
| Convective Capital and sector VC | Wildfire tech specialists | Seed after the LOIs |
| CDTI (Neotec) | Spanish deep-tech startup funding | After incorporation and pilot |
The currency of these conversations is letters of intent. Every test with firefighters is a potential LOI.
Request a pilot