# PRENAV

> PRENAV digitizes the world's critical infrastructure with drones, LiDAR, 3D analytics, and deep learning. Its web-based platform, PRENAV.XYZ, combines photogrammetry with AI to turn drone imagery into detailed 3D digital twins, then scans them for cracks, corrosion, and structural damage - resolving surface features smaller than 0.2mm. Founded in 2013 in Redwood City, the company replaces dangerous rope-and-scaffold inspections of cell towers, wind turbines, bridges, dams, and even nuclear reactors with automated, precise, GPS-independent drone flights.

- **Founded:** 2013
- **Headquarters:** Redwood City, California, United States
- **Founders:** Nathan Schuett (Co-Founder & CEO), Asa Hammond (Co-Founder), Naim Busek (Co-Founder)
- **Team size:** ~13 employees
- **Products:** PRENAV.XYZ, Synthetic Imagery as a Service, Robot-Guided Precision Drone System
- **Notable:** Completed the first-ever automated drone flights inside a functional nuclear reactor, Achieved FAA Section 333 exemption for industrial inspections (2015), Named to Forbes' '7 Industry-Shaking AI Startups You Should Know' (2019)

## Products & services

- **PRENAV.XYZ** — A web-based software platform for automated visual inspection of civil and industrial structures. It combines photogrammetry with AI to build detailed 3D digital twins, then applies deep learning to detect cracks, corrosion, and other defects - resolving surface features smaller than 0.2mm.
- **Synthetic Imagery as a Service** — Procedurally generated, automatically labeled training images for deep learning. Produces thousands of variations in geometry, texture, camera angle, orientation, and lighting with automatic bounding boxes and per-pixel labels, eliminating manual annotation.
- **Robot-Guided Precision Drone System** — The original PRENAV system: a ground robot scans and maps an environment, then guides a proprietary drone through a precise, GPS-independent route within centimeters of a structure - enabling inspection of cell towers, turbines, and enclosed spaces.

## Achievements

- Completed the first-ever automated drone flights inside a functional nuclear reactor
- Achieved FAA Section 333 exemption for industrial inspections (2015)
- Named to Forbes' '7 Industry-Shaking AI Startups You Should Know' (2019)
- Featured in Bloomberg's '50 Most Promising Startups You've Never Heard Of' (2017)
- Recognized by World Economic Forum and Business Insider (2017)
- Released video of what it billed as the world's most precise commercial drone system
- Won awards at the Robotic Film Festival and New Media Film Festival for precision light-painting drone demonstrations
- Resolves surface features smaller than 0.2mm from drone imagery

## Latest updates

- **2020-09** — Raised an additional $1.5M in funding.
- **2019-01** — Named one of Forbes' 7 industry-shaking AI startups and featured among NVIDIA's GTC GPU-powered startups.
- **2017-01** — Announced partnership with NTT DOCOMO for drone-based infrastructure inspection.

## Links

- Website: https://prenav.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prenav
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/prenavinc
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/prenavcorp
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PreNavInc/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/prenav
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Last updated: 2026-07-03