Hidden Stage, a Syracuse-based startup specializing drone detection techniques, is making waves within the Drone Trade after securing $100 million in new investor funding studies Syracuse.com. The corporate, which develops expertise to trace aerial drones and their operators, is quickly increasing its operations and workforce in Central New York, pushed by rising demand for its options amid rising nationwide safety issues.
Speedy Development Fueled by Funding
Hidden Stage’s current funding spherical, introduced in February 2025, contains $65 million led by DFJ Development, with participation from traders like Booz Allen Ventures and Founders Circle Capital. This comes simply six months after the corporate attracted $35 million, bringing its whole new funding to $100 million. In response to CEO Jeff Cole, the funding displays the essential position drones play in trendy safety.
“Within the battle in Ukraine, drones basically modified warfare,” Cole said, highlighting the worldwide deal with drone detection expertise.
The corporate’s development trajectory is spectacular. Beginning with a handful of workers in 2018, Hidden Stage expanded to 25 by 2021, 60 by the top of 2023, and 104 by April 2025. With 19 open positions presently listed in engineering, programming, and operations, the startup is poised for additional enlargement.
Slicing-Edge Drone Detection Expertise
Hidden Stage’s techniques are designed to detect each standard drones and “darkish drones,” which fly pre-programmed routes with out emitting radio frequency (RF) indicators. Not like conventional radar, which struggles with small, low-flying drones resulting from floor muddle, Hidden Stage employs passive radar techniques.
“Our expertise is all passive,” mentioned Jeff Cole. “It’s very distinctive as a result of it doesn’t emit a sign.” The corporate’s antennas “hear” for RF indicators utilized by operators to regulate drones, triangulating these indicators to find each the drone and its operator. For darkish drones, Hidden Stage’s tech analyzes different RF and radar indicators bouncing off the drones to trace them.
This expertise has confirmed versatile. Hidden Stage’s antennas, which may be mounted on cell towers, rooftops, or automobiles, are already deployed by the U.S. Military, Air Drive, and native companies to watch drone threats. The corporate has additionally offered techniques for main occasions, together with the presidential inauguration in January 2025. Moreover, Hidden Stage provides a subscription service to airports, enabling them to watch industrial airspace for drone incursions at no upfront value.
Enlargement Plans in Syracuse
Hidden Stage is deeply rooted in Syracuse, New York, and plans to remain. The corporate moved in 2021 from a 2,500-square-foot workplace to a ten,000-square-foot house at 1014 N. Geddes St. As a consequence of house constraints, it opened a second 10,000-square-foot facility on Collamer Street in DeWitt for manufacturing. “We opened that facility and it was instantly too small,” Cole famous. A 3rd 20,000-square-foot (1,860 sq. meters) manufacturing website is now within the works, set to open by the top of 2025.
The startup can also be contemplating a bigger headquarters in Syracuse’s Interior Harbor neighborhood, supported by a $2.5 million state grant and as much as $2.5 million in tax credit tied to job creation. “Our finish objective is to mix our amenities, a bigger facility that may home operations, finance, HR, contract, gross sales, R&D, manufacturing, manufacturing,” Cole defined.
Hidden Stage’s development underscores the growing want for drone detection as drones turn out to be extra accessible and pose dangers to nationwide safety and infrastructure. As Hidden Stage expands internationally, its expertise may set a brand new customary for airspace monitoring, balancing innovation with security within the quickly evolving drone panorama.
Picture courtesy of Hidden Stage, Syracuse.com, Newswire.
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