Founded just two years ago in San Sebastián, Zeru Drones uses artificial intelligence and drones to detect defects in hazardous infrastructure, cut inspection costs by 50%, and eliminate human safety risks. The company is taking part in the BIND 4.0 programme alongside GH Cranes & Components as its lead industrial partner.
The company was established in San Sebastián in June 2024.
"After years of experience in the drone industry and exploring swarm technology for entertainment shows, we realised that the true value of drones was not in the hardware itself, but in their ability to solve critical and costly problems in traditional industries," explains Ander Maiztegi, co-founder and CEO of Zeru Drones.
The team developed a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that enables real-time damage detection, advanced post-processing analysis, and GPS-denied autonomous flight capabilities in complex environments.
Despite its short history, the startup has already received several recognitions, including ENAIRE's I+Dron Award, and was selected for Santander X 100, which brings together the top 1% of startups with the greatest global potential. Its technological achievements have also earned it places in global programmes run by industry leaders Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NVIDIA.
"Our most significant commercial milestone so far has been being selected as finalists in BIND 4.0, competing against 882 applications from around the world," says Maiztegi.
As part of BIND 4.0, Zeru Drones worked with its lead industrial partner, GH Cranes & Components, to integrate its intelligent inspection technology into the company's processes and assets. The project was showcased at the ninth BIND 4.0 Demo Day, held on 2 July at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC).
Zeru Drones offers a Business-to-Business Software-as-a-Service (B2B SaaS) platform that is "completely hardware-agnostic, meaning we can transform any commercial drone into an intelligent inspector using our proprietary artificial intelligence."
The company's main markets are construction, energy, and indoor infrastructure.
"Our software automates defect detection and structural monitoring of critical assets, reducing downtime by 70%, cutting inspection costs by half, and completely eliminating human safety risks in hazardous environments."
A paradigm shift for industry
According to Maiztegi, the company's technology represents a fundamental change in how industrial maintenance is carried out.
"We help companies move from reactive maintenance—responding only after damage has occurred and operations have stopped—to a predictive and proactive model. Through continuous AI-driven analysis, businesses can identify anomalies before they become critical failures, reducing costs and extending the lifespan of their infrastructure."
The company's mission is to democratise artificial intelligence so that industrial environments become "100% safe."
"We're motivated by the fact that every automated inspection carried out with our technology means one less worker exposed to unnecessary risks in hazardous or high-altitude environments."
As an early-stage AI and deep-tech startup, almost all of Zeru Drones' current resources are devoted to research and development.
"Our short-term objective is to close a Seed investment round. This funding will allow us to achieve two goals: establish a dedicated R&D team with specialised technical talent to accelerate software development, and expand our commercial organisation to drive growth across the European market."
The company has also received funding through the SPRI Group's Ekintzaile programme.
"That support has been fundamental for our company. The funding has been entirely invested in market validation and technological development of our software. Thanks to this institutional backing, we were able to validate our product against the real needs of the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors in the Basque Country, enabling us to consolidate a robust technology and move on to projects with leading corporations."
Looking ahead, Zeru Drones' immediate challenge is to strengthen its position in the Spanish market before expanding internationally.
"Our goal is to scale our SaaS model across Europe. We are looking to build strategic partnerships with major companies in industry, indoor infrastructure, energy, and construction."
To achieve this, the company is actively seeking a funding round with strategic investors.
"We want Zeru Drones to become the leading platform for bringing automated intelligence to industrial inspections—both outdoors and in complex indoor environments where GPS signals are unavailable—through the use of drones."
The SPRI Group offers Basque companies the opportunity to showcase their activities through its communication channels. If your project is related to R&D, digitalisation, internationalisation, entrepreneurship, innovation or similar fields, you can take part in the Let's Talk About You initiative.
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