If you watched drones light up the Philadelphia sky during the Eagles' 2023 playoff run, you were watching the work of a company with deep roots right here at Pennovation Works. Verge Aero, a former member of the Pennovation Center, has evolved from a small team tinkering with drone automation into a full platform company powering light shows for event producers and operators nationwide.
The company was founded around 2015 by Christopher Franzwa and a group of engineers who were drawn to the possibilities of drone automation, without a fixed destination in mind. Early ambitions were modest, with getting 20 to 25 drones airborne at once feeling like a major milestone. Then Intel unveiled a 100-drone swarm at the 2018 Olympics, and everything snapped into focus.
Today, Verge Aero sells a combined hardware and software system that gives customers everything they need to design, simulate, and execute drone light shows, without building their own infrastructure from scratch. Beyond the technology, Verge Aero also helps customers navigate federal aviation regulations, a significant barrier in an industry where large swarms require FAA waivers and careful airspace coordination. Operators within Verge Aero's network can even collaborate, pooling their fleets to execute shows larger than any one company could manage alone.
