Malaysia's Aonic Raises $10M to Scale Drones Globally

Malaysian farmers are earning 50% more income thanks to a homegrown technology company that just landed $10 million to share its success with the world.

Aonic, a drone technology company founded in Malaysia, announced its Series A funding round led by Kairous Capital this week. The investment will help the company expand beyond Southeast Asia while deepening its research and manufacturing capabilities.

The company tackles one of agriculture's toughest problems: dangerous, labor-intensive manual work. Traditional crop spraying requires farmers to walk through fields carrying heavy equipment and breathing in chemicals. Aonic's drones do this work from above, keeping farmers safe while dramatically improving results.

The numbers tell an impressive story. Farms using Aonic's drones have seen their output jump by 54% while cutting water usage for spraying by 75%. That efficiency translates directly into farmers' pockets, with incomes rising by half compared to manual methods.

What sets Aonic apart is its fully integrated approach. The company designs, engineers, and manufactures everything in-house at its Malaysia facilities, giving it complete control over quality and costs. This end-to-end system includes proprietary software that pilots the drones for precision agriculture.

But Aonic knows technology alone doesn't transform industries. The company has built over 50 service centers across Southeast Asia, providing training, financing options, and ongoing support to farmers. This network ensures farmers can actually adopt and benefit from the technology long after their first purchase.

The Ripple Effect spreads far beyond individual farms. By reducing water waste and increasing crop yields, Aonic's technology addresses food security concerns across a region where agriculture remains vital to millions of livelihoods. The company's growth reflects this impact, reaching over $60 million in annual revenue while maintaining profitability since 2023.

"We've spent years building the engineering, manufacturing, and operational foundations to support real-world, field-ready operations," said Cheong Jin Xi, Aonic's Founder and CEO. The company's triple-digit growth rate since 2022 proves those foundations are solid.

Adrian Hia, Partner at Kairous Capital, called Aonic "a rare Malaysia-based company that can deliver across Southeast Asia at scale." The investment firm specifically sought transformative agricultural technology that brings measurable results.

Malaysia's tech ecosystem just proved it can compete globally while solving problems that matter most to everyday people.