Malaysia Drone Maker Aonic Raises $10M to Go Global

Malaysian farmers are seeing their incomes jump by half thanks to a homegrown technology company that's now preparing to scale worldwide.

Aonic, a drone technology company founded in Malaysia in 2016, just raised $10 million to expand its agriculture and industrial drone solutions beyond Southeast Asia. The funding comes from Kairous Capital, backed by Malaysia's National Fund-of-Funds, marking a major vote of confidence in Malaysian engineering.

The company solves a problem that's plagued farmers for generations: the backbreaking, dangerous work of manual spraying. Aonic's drones replace hours of human labor with precise, efficient technology that delivers real results.

The numbers tell a remarkable story. Farms using Aonic's drones report 50% higher incomes, 54% better crop yields, and 75% less water use compared to manual methods. These aren't projections but actual results from working farms across the region.

What sets Aonic apart is its end-to-end approach. The company designs, engineers, and manufactures everything in-house at its Malaysian facilities, giving it complete control over quality and costs. Beyond selling drones, Aonic provides training, financing options, and retail support to help farmers actually adopt the technology.

That comprehensive model is working. Aonic operates more than 50 service centers across Southeast Asia, ensuring farmers get support long after purchase. The company has grown revenue to over $60 million annually while staying profitable since 2023, proof that doing good can align with sound business.

Founder and CEO Cheong Jin Xi credits years of groundwork. "We've spent years building the engineering, manufacturing, and operational foundations to support real-world, field-ready operations," he said. Now the company is ready to export that expertise globally through an expanding network of resellers and distributors.

The Ripple Effect

Aonic's success extends far beyond its balance sheet. The company is modernizing Malaysia's agriculture sector while creating jobs in high-tech manufacturing. Its Drone Academy Asia trains the next generation of drone operators, building skills that will serve the region for decades.

For smallholder farmers, those running modest family operations, Aonic's financing program removes the biggest barrier to adoption: upfront costs. That means even small producers can access technology that was once reserved for massive commercial operations.

Adrian Hia, Partner at Kairous Capital, called Aonic "a rare Malaysia-based company that can deliver across Southeast Asia at scale." As the company enters global markets, it's carrying Malaysian innovation with it, showing the world what's possible when engineering excellence meets real-world needs.

A decade of hard work is now paying dividends for farmers, workers, and a nation building its technological future.