Pablo Air
Category: Robotics / Embodied AI
A swarm AI and autonomous flight technology company providing an integrated control platform for diverse unmanned mobility, including drones, UGVs, and autonomous vehicles. Pablo Air was founded in 2018. The company is led by Young-joon Kim. Based in Incheon, South Korea. Team size: 270. Total funding raised: $56.5M (Series A $8M + Pre-IPO $15.5M + Strategic ₩5B). Latest round: Strategic Investment (₩5B from Korean Air, Jan 2026). Key investors include Korean Air, Lee Soo-man (SM Founder), Korea Development Bank (KDB), GS (Xplor Investment), Lotte Ventures, Daol Investment (formerly KTB), SBI Investment, Shinhan Venture Investment.
- Founded
- 2018
- Headquarters
- Incheon, South Korea
- Team size
- 270
- Total funding
- $56.5M (Series A $8M + Pre-IPO $15.5M + Strategic ₩5B)
Value proposition
Pioneering the world's first integrated control platform (PAMNet) that enables real-time, simultaneous management of multiple types of unmanned vehicles with high-level swarm intelligence.
Products and solutions
PAMNet (Pablo Air Mobility Network): Integrated control and monitoring platform, Allivery: End-to-end drone logistics and delivery service, S10s: Swarm kamikaze drone system and defense GCS, InspecX: AI swarm-based aircraft exterior inspection system, Drone Art Shows: Large-scale swarm drone light performance solutions
Unique value
The first Korean company to reach 'Level 4 High Swarming' technology, capable of orchestrating thousands of drones with precise collision avoidance and collaborative logic.
Target customer
Defense ministries (B2G), logistics & retail corporations (B2B), entertainment agencies, and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) infrastructure providers.
Industries served
Defense & Aerospace, Logistics & Delivery, Media & Entertainment, Urban Air Mobility (UAM), Industrial Inspection & Maintenance
Technology advantage
Proprietary swarm intelligence software that integrates heterogeneous mobility (air, ground, sea) into a single operational network, combined with a Guinness World Record-proven execution capability.
How they differentiate
Differentiates through 'PAMNet' (Pablo Air Mobility Network), an integrated software platform that enables synchronized swarm control of heterogeneous unmanned vehicles (air, ground, and sea) rather than just hardware-specific drone show solutions.
Main competitors
UVify, Nearthlab, EHang, Sky Elements
Key partnerships
Korean Air (Strategic Investor for defense and swarm AI joint development), LG Uplus (Consortium partner for UAM traffic management systems), Lotte (7-Eleven) (Commercial drone delivery pilot programs), NASA (Participation in UAM/UAS collaborative research projects), Clobot (Partnership for industrial robotic inspection solutions)
Notable customers
Korean Air, NASA, Lotte (7-Eleven), Arizona Department of Transportation, Republic of Korea Armed Forces
Major milestones
2019: Set record for longest over-sea drone delivery in Korea (61km), 2021: Achieved Guinness World Record for the most drones performing simultaneous fireworks, 2023: Secured $16M Pre-IPO investment round, 2024-2025: Multiple CES Innovation Award wins for PAMNet and defense systems, 2025: Completed merger with VOLK to internalize precision manufacturing capabilities, 2026: Secured Strategic Investment from Korean Air for joint defense and swarm AI development
Growth metrics
Cumulative funding exceeds 44B KRW (~$33M); Team size expanded to ~270 employees following the 2025 merger with precision manufacturer VOLK.
Market positioning
Leader in Swarm AI and Integrated Unmanned Mobility platforms, transitioning from high-end entertainment (drone shows) to mission-critical Defense and Logistics infrastructure.
Geographic focus
South Korea (HQ), North America (Arizona operations), and Global (Entertainment markets)
Patents and IP
Extensive portfolio focusing on swarm control, precision positioning, and multi-mobility communication (Actively supported by IP-protection programs like IP-Narae; recipient of multiple CES Innovation Awards including 2024, 2025, and 2026).
About Young-joon Kim
Young-joon Kim is the Founder and CEO of Pablo Air, a leader in swarm AI and autonomous flight technology. A graduate of Hanseo University (Aviation Software Engineering) and KAIST (MBA), he transitioned from a distinguished military career in the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command (3rd Special Forces Brigade) to entrepreneurship in 2018. Under his leadership, Pablo Air has secured over 44 billion KRW in funding, won multiple CES Innovation Awards, and achieved Guinness World Records for drone light shows. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Hanseo and Inha Universities and holds the role of Vice Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Industry Association.
Official website: https://pabloair.com