Nova Sky Stories, Kimbal Musk's drone entertainment company, secured $50 million in a new funding round. Jeffrey Katzenberg's tech investment firm, WndrCo, participated in this capital raise. This investment supports the company's expansion plans.
Katzenberg also joins Nova Sky Stories as a strategic advisor. He believes drones offer a new canvas for storytelling. The company aims to create original characters and narratives exclusively for aerial display.
Scaling Drone Entertainment Innovation
Nova Sky Stories, founded by Musk during the pandemic, acquired Intel's drone business in 2022. This acquisition included a fleet of 9,000 drones. The company has since enhanced drone capabilities and performance duration.
Musk compares drone entertainment's current stage to early Disney animation. He envisions interactive, speaking animated characters that engage audiences physically. The first show co-developed with Katzenberg will debut in 2026.
The company plans to build a library of intellectual property. It targets "branded family entertainment" shows for 50,000 to 80,000 people in stadiums globally. This funding will scale the drone fleet to 25,000 units next year.
Katzenberg previously oversaw major animated hits at Disney and pioneered computer-generated animation at Dreamworks. His expertise is crucial for Nova Sky's ambitious goals in drone technology.
Nova Sky Stories aims to redefine live entertainment.
