November 11, 2020 — Redwood City, Calif. — Skydio , the leading US drone company and world leader in autonomous flight, today announced several new strategic hires as part of its expanded sales strategy appointing Trent Hall, as Vice President, Channel & Alliances, Sai Williams and Ron Bellavia, as Federal Account Managers, and Dylan Hamm, as Solutions Engineer. They join a growing team of experts — which includes Chuck McGraw, Head of Federal Sales, Brendan Groves, Head of Policy and Regulation, Alden Jones, Sr. Director Customer, and Justin Jordan, Federal Account Manager — that combine an accomplished federal law enforcement, military and intelligence background with deep technical expertise on the use of drones in real life scenarios.
“Veterans are vital to our communities, our country and our world. I am honored to celebrate our Veterans at Skydio and across the US today. On behalf of our company, we thank all members of the military and their families, in all branches, past and present, for their service and sacrifice,” said Mark Cranney, COO of Skydio. “A special nod to Trent, Sai, Ron and Dylan, an essential part of our team, and a driving force behind helping to speed autonomous drone technology into the hands of key operational users.”
Hall has set Skydio’s indirect sales in motion in support of the company’s go to market strategy, focusing on the channel and key strategic partnerships. He has deep enterprise technology and military experience, and most recently ran SignalFx’s indirect sales and global partner program prior to its acquisition in 2019 for $1.05B. His military and intelligence experience includes being a Paramilitary Operations Officer with the CIA and a Green Beret Detachment Commander in the US Army.
“My initial experience with drones was during my first combat deployment to Afghanistan. I’ve learned some key lessons from my experience and the takeaways revolved around the importance of real time situational awareness that saves lives in a high stakes environment,” said Trent Hall, Skydio’s Vice President of Channel Alliances. “I plan to translate both my enterprise and military background into building the best partner ecosystem at Skydio to bring our world leading autonomous drones to responders’ hands globally.”
Sai Williams served over 22 years as a SEAL and in the US Army, leading Special Operations teams on numerous deployments around the world. Most recently, he served at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) where he worked to speed innovative technology solutions into the hands of service members — both forward deployed and in the United States. He is passionate about providing the very best technology solutions to our men and women in uniform in order to ensure that they can safely execute the critical missions our nation asks of them.
Ron Bellavia served for 25 over years as executive-level federal law enforcement agent at the Department of Homeland Security and in international assignments as part of the multi-national force in Iraq and of the Department of Defense (AFRICOM) in Stuttgart, Germany. He led border national security teams for large-scale operations deploying drones in an austere field environment and established first command of the U.S. Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue team
Dylan Hamm spent over 12 years in Special Operations as a SEAL. He helped pioneer use cases, as well as development of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) platforms within his community. He has a unique passion for UAS based on their ability to transform the battlefield, by increasing a unit’s organic capacity for situational awareness. At Skydio, Dylan aims to get autonomous drone capabilities into the hands of those who put their lives on the line every day, for something bigger than themselves. In this role he will drive development of new, unique platforms, building upon the foundation of autonomy Skydio has laid out, to achieve a higher level of utility, safety and reliability, for UAS in the future.
“Those serving our Nation, whether Stateside or forward deployed, deserve our appreciation, admiration and support. With Skydio, I hope to help equip these individuals with the technology capable of improving both their situational awareness, as well as safety,” said Dylan Hamm, Solutions Engineer. “The ability to reduce the probability of a crash, while also reducing the cognitive workload of the pilot, is a gamechanger for troops on the ground who are focused on their already complex mission.”
Skydio salutes Veterans today in the United States and around the world. On behalf of our company, we thank all members of the military, in all branches, past and present, for your service and sacrifice.
To learn more:
Celebrating Skydio’s Veterans, by Mark Cranney, Skydio COO
To all those who have served and those who are still serving — Thank You, by Dylan Hamm, Skydio Solution Engineer for Federal and Public Sector
X2D: Ready For Duty — Video
About Skydio
Skydio is the leading U.S. drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight. Skydio leverages breakthrough AI to create the world’s most intelligent flying machines for use by consumer, enterprise, and government customers. Founded in 2014, Skydio is made up of leading experts in AI, robotics, cameras, and electric vehicles from top companies, research labs, and universities from around the world. Skydio designs, assembles, and supports its products in the U.S. from its headquarters in Redwood City, CA, to offer the highest standards of supply chain and manufacturing security. Skydio is trusted by leading enterprises across a wide range of industry sectors and is backed by top investors and strategic partners including Andreesen Horowitz, Levitate Capital, Next47, IVP, Playground, and NVIDIA.
