Drone Volt SA

Release Highlights:

• DRONE VOLT had a very successful presence at the Eurosatory exhibition, showcasing its advanced drones including the KOBRA with an NVIDIA processor, the HERCULES 20 capable of carrying over 15 kilograms for more than 30 minutes, and the HELIPLANE LRS PRO BELUGA with a flight duration of over 2 hours and a payload of 10 kilograms.
• The company saw a significant increase in demand for its drone solutions and services, with a hundred new prospects, 90% of which were international, and signed the Drone Pact Charter with the Ministry of the Armed Forces and 50 French industrialists.
• Stefano Valentini, Chairman of the Board, emphasized the strategic importance of European drone industry independence, while CEO Marc Courcelle highlighted the company’s commitment to transforming this interest into firm orders and sustaining strong growth.

Release Highlights:

• DRONE VOLT, an expert in embedded artificial intelligence and a manufacturer of professional civilian drones, will present its latest innovations at Eurosatory from June 17-21, 2024, in Paris-Nord Villepinte, featuring the DRONE VOLT KOBRA designed for surveillance, security, and defense, which combines advanced hardware and software for remote control and real-time data processing.
• The DRONE VOLT KOBRA, developed and manufactured in France, offers strategic advantages with its “IA ready” nano-computer, allowing flexible configurations for various missions. It features two FPV cameras and two LIDAR sensors, supporting payloads up to 5 kg, making it suitable for police, military, and security forces.
• DRONE VOLT will also showcase the HERCULES 20, a heavy-duty transport drone used by the French Navy, and the HELIPLANE LRS PRO BELUGA, a long-distance VTOL drone capable of carrying up to 10 kg with a maximum range of 220 km and real-time video transmission up to 80 km, ideal for day and night surveillance missions.

Release Highlights:

• DRONE VOLT, an expert in embedded artificial intelligence and a manufacturer of professional civilian drones, held its General Meeting on June 4, 2024, at its headquarters in Villepinte, where shareholders approved the company’s social and consolidated accounts for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023.
• Out of the twenty-three resolutions presented, thirteen were adopted, and ten were rejected. Detailed voting results for each resolution are available in the annex of this report and on the company’s website under the Investors section, General Meetings.
• In compliance with legal requirements, all documents for the General Meeting were made available to shareholders within the legal deadlines at the company’s headquarters and on its website.

Release Highlights:

• DRONE VOLT, an expert in embedded artificial intelligence and a manufacturer of professional civilian drones, reminds its shareholders of the Annual General Meeting to be held on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 10:00 AM at the company’s headquarters in Villepinte.
• By order of the President of the Bobigny Commercial Court dated May 24, 2024, SELARL Thevenot Partners, represented by Maître Vincent Bloch, has been appointed as ad hoc representative to represent defaulting shareholders at the Annual General Meeting due to the company’s inability to reach the necessary quorum in previous meetings.
• In accordance with the terms of the ad hoc representative’s mission, the voting rights attached to the shares of defaulting shareholders will be exercised as follows: for ordinary resolutions, half positive and half negative votes; for extraordinary resolutions approved by the Board of Directors, two-thirds positive and one-third negative votes; and for extraordinary resolutions not approved by the Board, one-third positive and two-thirds negative votes.

Arrowhead is updating its coverage on Drone Volt SA with a fair value bracket of EUR 0.02 per share to EUR 0.06 per share (share price on May 15, 2024: EUR 0.0082) based on the Relative Valuation method.

• During FY 2023, Drone Volt generated revenue of EUR 24.0 mn compared to EUR 13.7 mn in FY 2022, a growth of 75% YoY. The revenue growth was driven by an increase in deliveries on the record order of more than EUR 20 mn, announced in the first quarter of FY 2023.
• During the period, the consolidated gross profit increased to EUR 3.7 mn compared with EUR 2.9 mn in the same period of last year. The gross margin rate stood at 14% in FY 2023 compared with 21% in FY 2022.
• Of the total revenue, the Distribution segment generated revenue of EUR 21.8 mn in FY 2023 compared with EUR 12.0 mn in FY 2022. The gross profit of the segment was EUR 2.3 mn in FY 2023 compared to EUR 1.8 mn in FY 2022. 
• Revenue from Drone Volt Factory, services and academy segment was EUR 2.0 mn in FY 2023 compared with EUR 1.7 mn in FY 2022. Gross profit from the segment stood at EUR 1.1 mn compared with EUR 1.0 mn in FY 2022.
• In February 2024, DRV signed a major distribution contract with a player in the Middle East region. Under this agreement, DRV will provide drones developed and assembled within the Drone Volt Factory, services from Drone Volt Expert and training from Drone Volt Academy. The agreement will also provide exclusivity rights to the distributor if significant sales volume is generated over the next 2 years.
• Drone Volt successfully completed a complex cable unwinding mission in Madagascar, showing its competence in executing large-scale projects.
• During FY 2024, the company’s growth strategy is to increase its gross margin with focus on three key pillars – ramp up of Drone Volt Expert service, production of its own solutions including spray version of HERCULES 20, brand new LINEDRONE and Drone Volt Kobra and expansion of its Distribution segment, owing to the contract signed in FY 2023 and expected new orders.
• In January 2024, DRV raised EUR 2.5 mn from institutional investors and individuals through a private placement. These funds will be utilized to recruit remote pilots for the Drone Volt Expert service and to ramp up the production capacities for the new LINEDRONE and Drone Volt Kobra.

Release Highlights:

• DRONE VOLT, a manufacturer of professional civilian drones and expert in embedded solutions, reported a significant increase in quarterly revenue, multiplying it by more than five, largely due to new deliveries complementing a record order from 2023, and tripling its gross margin thanks to the promising start of the DRONE VOLT EXPERT service offering.
• The company recorded a 466% revenue increase in Q1 2024, reaching €8.9 million, driven by the completion of a historic order from February 2023 and regular new orders. DRONE VOLT FACTORY, SERVICES & ACADEMY also saw its revenue more than double to nearly €0.7 million, with a significant contribution from the new DRONE VOLT EXPERT services, boosting the overall group results.
• CEO Marc Courcelle attributes the successful quarter to new drone models like the LINEDRONE and DRONE VOLT KOBRA, and the robust performance of the HERCULES 20 and HELIPLANE. The company aims to maintain strong profitability through its three pillars: expanding service offerings, enriching its drone portfolio, and leveraging its distribution network, ensuring significant growth in gross margin and improved group profitability for 2024.

Release Highlights:

• DRONE VOLT, a manufacturer of professional civilian drones and expert in embedded solutions, announces a strong increase in demand for its best-seller, the HERCULES 20 drone, known for its performance and versatility, particularly in its High-Dra configuration with a 250-bar high-pressure solution.
• The HERCULES 20, capable of carrying a 15 kg payload for 15 to 40 minutes, is especially popular in the United States, where it accounts for nearly 70% of the drones sold by DRONE VOLT in Q1 2024, providing flexible and profitable solutions for tasks such as facade cleaning without the need for costly and hazardous scaffolding.
• With substantial production capacity and reduced R&D costs, DRONE VOLT is poised to meet future orders and improve margins. CEO Marc Courcelle highlights the drone’s operational modularity, making it suitable for varied missions like de-icing power lines, building cleaning, material transport, and graffiti removal in cities like Washington.

Release Highlights:

• DRONE VOLT, a manufacturer of professional civilian drones and expert in embedded solutions, has announced a new distribution agreement in Turkey, enabling the company to offer its solutions in the Turkish market through a local distributor known for its expertise in drone pilot training and efficient use of drone technology across agriculture, energy, security, and engineering sectors.
• This agreement has already resulted in the sale of a HELIPLANE, which was delivered, invoiced, and paid for by the end of March, further expanding DRONE VOLT’s commercial network following a similar agreement in the Middle East earlier this year. This strategy allows the company to enter new markets without the fixed costs of a subsidiary or local sales team.
• CEO Marc Courcelle stated that this partnership strengthens DRONE VOLT’s presence in Turkey and the surrounding region. The distributor’s technical expertise, combined with DRONE VOLT’s global vision, is expected to create significant regional opportunities.

Release Highlights:

• Record Annual Revenue: DRONE VOLT achieved a significant milestone with close to 24 million euros in annual revenue, marking a record high for the company.
• Improved Gross Margin: The second half of 2023 saw a notable enhancement in gross margin, driven by the successful launch and uptake of DRONE VOLT EXPERT services, highlighting promising growth prospects.
• Substantial Net Profit Increase: Demonstrating robust financial management, DRONE VOLT realized a substantial increase of over 20 million euros in net profit, underscoring effective cost controls and operational efficiencies.

Release Highlights:

• Drone Volt announces signature of a major distribution contract with partner to conquer the Middle Eastern drone market.
• The partners have signed up for a 2-year period, with the ambition of deploying the high added value solutions that DRONE VOLT has to offer.
• These include drones developed and assembled within Drone Volt Factory, Drone Volt Expert Services, and Drone Volt Academy training.