Syracuse Startup Hidden Level Develops a System for Detecting Drones to Avoid In-Air Collisions

Syracuse, N.Y. — A Syracuse startup has developed a system that detects small, low-flying drones that radars can’t see.

Hidden Level recently raised $17.6 million in investment funding, bringing the total amount of venture capital it has raised to $21 million. The latest round was led by Lobby Capital, with participation from existing investors Lockheed Martin, Alsop Louis Partners, Pipeline Capital, Quest Venture Partners, Lauder Partners, and others.

Jeff Cole, Hidden Level’s CEO and co-founder, said the new funding will allow the company to double its staff within the next 18 months and advance development of its sensor technology and services.

Hidden Level employs 20 people and now has 12 openings for procurement, business development, engineering, finance and program management positions. The company recently moved from a 2,500-square-foot office on West Fayette Street to a 10,000-square-foot office at 1014 N. Geddes St.

The company says its system can help security personnel, air traffic managers and others to track in real time drones flying over sensitive facilities such as airports, power stations, sports stadiums and, other public venues and events.

That provides a big advantage over radar systems, which are pretty good at tracking airplanes but have trouble detecting small, low-flying drones.

Without the ability to detect drones, air traffic controllers have no real way of managing the skies to prevent potential collisions between drones and manned aircraft, and security personnel would have no way to detect drones flying over sensitive facilities or public events crowded with people.

Hidden Level uses sophisticated sensors that can detect drones flying over wide areas. According to the company’s website, just 10 of its sensors can detect drones over a 170-square-mile area, enough to cover the entire city of Atlanta, including Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

Installations with just 15 or fewer sensors are sufficient to cover the skies over nearly half of the top 40 US cities by population, according to the company.

The sensors contain antennas and are strategically placed on cell towers, rooftops and the sides of buildings. The antennas are completely passive. Unlike radars, they emit no radio signals. Instead, they look for the radio frequencies, or RF signals, that drones transmit, then triangulate their positions.

“Really, what we’re trying to do is mimic air traffic systems,” Cole said.

Cole, 38, a computer science engineer, founded the company with Gary Dominicos, 52, in July 2018. Both men previously worked at SRC, where Cole was director of programs for an SRC spinoff, Gryphon Sensors, and Dominicos was Gryphon’s controller. Dominicos serves as chief financial officer for Hidden Level.

Hidden Level is not selling its sensors. Instead, it is selling subscriptions to its service to, among others, urban air mobility and drone delivery providers, the Federal Aviation Administration, police agencies, operators of the nation’s power grid, owners of sports stadiums and operators of special events.

The real-time data from its sensors can be integrated into existing solutions such as air traffic control systems. Cole said Hidden Level owns and maintains all the system’s hardware. Customers do not need to acquire any hardware of their own.

The company plans to deploy one of its systems in the Syracuse area within four weeks, monitoring drone flights over Onondaga Lake, the New York State Fairgrounds and St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater. Cole said the company plans to use the local site to test and showcase the capabilities for customers.

Hidden Level also plans to install its system in other cities later this year, he said. The company cannot yet publicly disclose which cities those are, because of agreements with customers in those cities, he said.

Coles said he expects demand for the company’s service to expand as drone delivery services such as those being developed by Amazon, UPS and other companies come online.

“Air traffic controllers can now use our data to safely keep air traffic moving,” he said.

Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148

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