Ex-Thiel Fellow unveils drone designed to replace police helicopters

When speaking with Blake Resnick, he is walking through his drone startup's newly acquired office space in Seattle — a vast 50,000-square-foot facility that he estimates will not be fully operational until later this year, possibly around November. Even in its current state, the large and mostly empty building reflects the ambitions of a rapidly expanding company focused on transforming its industry.

That industry is public safety, and the startup is Brinc, which provides drones to law enforcement and emergency response agencies across the United States. The company's goal, as Resnick has previously described, is to become the "DJI of the West," referencing DJI and signalling his intent to build a dominant Western alternative in the drone market.

Resnick, a former participant in the Thiel Fellowship, founded Brinc in 2017. Shortly afterwards, he attracted early interest from Sam Altman, who became one of the company's initial seed investors. Since then, Brinc has completed multiple funding rounds and, according to Resnick, reached a valuation approaching $500 million during its most recent raise.

On Tuesday, Brinc introduced its latest product, a public safety drone named Guardian. Resnick described it as "the closest thing to a police helicopter replacement that the drone industry has ever produced." At the same time, le the company claims it is the most capable 911 response drone available.

Guardian includes a range of advanced features. It can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and operate for up to 62 minutes on a single flight. The drone is equipped with thermal imaging technology along with two additional 4K cameras, all capable of zooming in on distant details. According to Resnick, the system allows law enforcement to identify license plate numbers even from significant altitudes. It also includes a high-intensity spotlight and a loudspeaker that exceeds the volume of a standard police siren.

The drone operates alongside a dedicated landing station, referred to by Brinc as a "charging nest," which supports automated battery swapping. This station can also be stocked with emergency supplies such as defibrillators, flotation devices, and Narcan, enabling rapid deployment without requiring direct human involvement.

One of the standout features of Guardian is its built-in integration with Starlink, SpaceX's satellite connectivity system. Brinc states that this makes Guardian the first public-safety drone to integrate Starlink directly into its hardware, enabling it to maintain connectivity in virtually any location. Resnick emphasised that this capability effectively provides an unlimited operational range worldwide.

Resnick believes the public safety sector represents a major opportunity. He noted that the United States alone has approximately 20,000 police departments, 30,000 fire departments, and 80,000 combined police-and-fire stations. He estimates that as many as half of these could eventually deploy drones like Guardian as part of their emergency response systems, creating a market opportunity valued between $6 billion and $8 billion domestically and internationally.

To support this vision, Brinc has recently partnered with the National League of Cities to expand "drone as first responder" programs across communities nationwide. This initiative is expected to strengthen relationships with municipalities that could become future customers.

Resnick also pointed to recent geopolitical developments as a factor benefiting Brinc's position. Historically, DJI has held a dominant share of the global drone market, including widespread adoption by U.S. public safety agencies. However, recent restrictions introduced during the Trump administration have limited the availability of foreign-made drones, creating new opportunities for domestic manufacturers. "There is this huge need for a DJI of the West, or a leading drone manufacturer for the free world, and ultimately, that's what we want to be," Resnick said.