Ninano
South Korean unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developer and manufacturer based in Gimcheon that designs and produces tail-sitter VTOL and heavy-payload drones for military, surveillance, logistics and infrastructure-inspection applications, using HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) PA12 additive manufacturing for airframe parts.
- CEO / Founder
- Kim Geon-Hong (김건홍)
- Team Size
- 11-50
- Stage
- Active
- Total Funding
- $0.4M
- Latest Round
- Seed
- Key Investors
- Undisclosed (Seed round; TIPS program R&D support)
Technology & Products
Key Products
GOSHAWK (tail-sitter VTOL UAV, >60min flight, >100km/h, >50km range, 5kg payload; variants GOSHAWK 10M/10B and GOSHAWK 50M with 23kg MTOW); HARPIA (multicopter, 15kg payload); PELICAN (logistics delivery multicopter, 10kg payload, operates to -33°C); BUBO (small foldable surveillance/reconnaissance UAV, 2.5kg payload); PHOENIX (large fixed-wing UAV, 100kg+ payload); SPEAR (high-speed tail-sitter, 300km/h+). Also offers customized drone production, engineering education, and inspection/logistics solutions.
Technological Advantage
CFD-based aerodynamic design; tail-sitter VTOL transition control software (developed over ~6 years); HP Multi Jet Fusion PA12 production of aerodynamic fairings, motor mounts, brackets, integrated avionics housings and propellers; part consolidation and topology optimization (DfAM) reducing airframe weight by >20% and development time by >60%; hybrid propulsion and variable duct systems.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Develops and manufactures high-payload, high-performance unmanned aerial vehicles (tail-sitter VTOL and heavy-lift drones) domestically in South Korea, using CFD-driven aerodynamic design and HP MJF PA12 additive manufacturing to consolidate parts, cut airframe weight and shorten development cycles.
How They Differentiate
Focus on tail-sitter VTOL and heavy-payload (up to 100kg+) platforms rather than commodity multicopters; in-house additive manufacturing (HP MJF PA12) for rapid iteration and weight reduction; domestic production aimed at reducing dependence on Chinese components.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Military/defense organizations, government and municipal bodies (B2G), logistics and delivery operators, and infrastructure inspection clients
Industry Verticals
Defense and military UAS; surveillance and reconnaissance; cargo/logistics delivery; infrastructure inspection; engineering education
Competitors
Korean UAV makers such as Doosan Mobility Innovation (hydrogen fuel-cell drones); DJI (global commercial/military-adjacent UAV leader); domestic defense drone developers competing for Korean military UAS programs
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
~25 employees (2026); 14 patents; 18 B2G public procurement contracts; 6 national R&D projects; TIPS-selected
Major Milestones
Founded 2017 (renamed Ninano Company 2018); TIPS (팁스) general-track R&D selection; exhibited at KADEX 2024, DX Korea 2024, XPONENTIAL 2025 (USA), Drone Uncrewed Asia (Singapore); GOSHAWK displayed at HP booth at DSK 2026; participated in 4th HP Korea AM VIP Summit; drone logistics delivery service with Pulmuone/Dangjin City; plans to extend platform to 25-150kg hybrid tail-sitters.
Notable Customers
Pulmuone (풀무원) and Dangjin City (drone-based island food delivery); Gimcheon City; Lotte E&C consortium (vertiport infrastructure)
Recent coverage of Ninano
Funding rounds
- Seed₩500M2019-06Source: thevc.kr