Basic agreement reached with GMO GlobalSign to provide technology related to drone communication and control security

Prodrone Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and President: Masakazu Kono; hereinafter referred to as Prodrone) is a venture capital company specializing in drones and air mobility, DRONE FUND (Representative Director: Kotaro Chiba, Soki Ohmae; hereinafter referred to as Drone Fund), and SkyDrive Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and CEO: Tomohiro Fukuzawa; hereinafter referred to as Skydrive), which develops "flying cars," and GMO GlobalSign Inc. (Representative Director and President: Chujo Nakajo), which develops "flying cars." Ichiro (hereinafter referred to as GMO GlobalSign) reached a basic agreement on Friday, November 20, 2020 regarding the provision of technology to strengthen the security of "communications and control" toward the social implementation of drones.

[Background and overview of the basic technology licensing agreement]Recently, under the initiative of the government, the public and private sectors are working together to implement small unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) (*1), but countermeasures against security risks such as ``hijacking'' of the aircraft and operation system during drone operation, and ``tampering'' and ``eavesdropping'' of communication data sent from the aircraft have become an issue. For this reason, SSL is attracting attention as a technology that strengthens the security of communication data.
On the other hand, GMO Internet Group's main business is to provide internet infrastructure services necessary for companies' IT utilization and DX transformation, supporting the development of many industries. Under these circumstances, we have been focusing on the next-generation mobility industry, which is expected to develop in the future. In addition, our group company GMO GlobalSign, Inc. is the only company in Japan that can meet both domestic and global standards and is globally deploying PKI technology (*2) including SSL server certificates.
Therefore, GMO Internet Group has reached a basic agreement with ProDrone and SkyDrive, which are invested by Drone Fund, which is involved in the development and operation of drones through GMO GlobalSign, regarding the provision of technology in the field of strengthening the security of drone communication and control.
Specifically, GMO Internet Group will provide a wide range of information on GMO GlobalSign's security technology, including drone controllers, authentication of the aircraft, encryption of communications, and encryption of data transmission from drones, and will also provide electronic certificates free of charge for demonstration experiments if necessary. On the other hand, we will receive information regarding user needs from Prodrone and Skydrive. This will pave the way for GMO GlobalSign's PKI technology know-how to be utilized not only for the social implementation of drones with enhanced security, but also for the development of safe and secure air transportation infrastructure.

(*1) Government initiatives regarding small unmanned vehicles related to logistics (URL: https://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001282866.pdf ) (*2) PKI is an abbreviation for Public Key Infrastructure, which is a security infrastructure that uses a technology called "public key cryptography" that consists of a key pair of a public key and a private key to safely exchange information over the Internet.

Excerpt from “Roadmap 2020 for the Industrial Revolution of the Sky” (*5)

[Movement towards realizing next-generation mobility ~Social implementation of drones~]In Japan, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism are currently leading discussions on systems, environmental improvements, and technological development in which the public and private sectors work together toward the realization of next-generation mobility "flying cars" (*3). ``Flying cars'' are ``familiar and convenient means of air transportation using electric, vertical takeoff and landing, piloted aircraft, etc.'', and development is progressing based on drones that can fly by remote control or automatic control. The roadmap for this initiative (*4) aims to begin commercial use as a "flying car" project in the mid-2020s, with full-scale commercialization around 2030. Flying cars are expected to be used in a variety of industries, including logistics, agriculture, and disaster prevention, and the roadmap depicts a future vision for 2030 and beyond, in which unmanned drones carry cargo and flying cars move through the sky without traffic jams.
On the other hand, efforts to implement drones in society are also progressing under the government's leadership, with public and private sectors working together. Discussions are underway to realize drones that contribute to resolving social issues, including commercial use, and are currently progressing to the stage of environmental preparation and technology development aimed at achieving beyond visual line of sight (Level 4) flight of small unmanned aircraft (drones) in manned areas, which is the 2022 goal in the latest roadmap (*5).

(*3) “Public-Private Council for Air Mobility Revolution” (*4) “Roadmap for Realizing “Flying Cars”” (URL: https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2018/12/20181220007/20181220007.html ) (*5) “Roadmap 2020 towards the industrial revolution of the skies” (URL: https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/singi/kogatamujinki/pdf/siryou14.pdf )

[Comment from Drone Fund Kotaro Chiba]DRONE FUND has invested in 44 domestic and overseas companies related to drones and air mobility (flying cars). In order to further implement this technology in society, we have reached a basic agreement with GMO GlobalSign to license technology, which should be a major step forward not only for this industry but also for Japanese society. Mr. Kumagai, CEO of GMO Internet Group, the second fund investor, and Mr. Chiba, who are both airline pilots, and Mr. Ohmae, who is a dronegrapher, strongly believe in the future and possibilities of the sky. We will take this opportunity to involve more startups and focus on establishing air security in order to realize the coming "drone and air mobility society."

[Comment from Masakazu Kono, President and Representative Director of Prodrone Co., Ltd.]In order to advance the industrial revolution in the sky, it is essential to keep information confidential, and it will be an essential element in a society where flight beyond visual line of sight (Level 4) will become the norm in the future. PRODRONE has already flown aircraft compatible with Level 3 in various demonstration experiments, and is developing technology to conceal aircraft operation information, transportation material information, acquired data, customer and billing data, etc. during actual operation. We are pleased to have reached a basic agreement to license technology with GMO GlobalSign, Inc., allowing us to work on further strengthening security.

[Comment from Tomohiro Fukuzawa, CEO of SkyDrive Co., Ltd.]When I read GMO Internet Group's corporate statement, ``Internet for All,'' I strongly believed that our goal is ``Air Transportation for All.'' It is very reassuring to be able to work together with the people who created the Internet as a future norm in creating an industry in the sky. Security is essential for flying cars and drones to operate safely and be accepted by society. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to GMO GlobalSign for being able to reach a basic agreement for technology licensing.

[Comment from Ichiro Nakajo, President and CEO of GMO GlobalSign, Inc.]We are very excited that the technological know-how that our company has cultivated will be useful in a completely new industry called next-generation mobility, which is promoted by "air x IT." We will continue to hold discussions in order to contribute to strengthening security as we move towards the future implementation of drones in society.

[About the drone fund]Drone Fund is a venture capital firm that specializes in startups related to drones and air mobility, aiming to create a society based on drones and air mobility. Through Funds No. 1 and No. 2, we have formed a portfolio of over 40 companies in Japan and overseas. Fund No. 3 will carry out a wide range of investment activities in drones and air mobility and technologies that contribute to their social implementation.
Official name: Chiba Dojo Drone Department No. 1 Investment Limited Partnership (No. 1 Fund), Chiba Dojo Drone Department No. 2 Investment Limited Partnership (No. 2 Fund), DRONE FUND No. 3 Investment Limited Partnership (No. 3 Fund)
Operating company: DRONE FUND Co., Ltd.
Representative partners: Kotaro Chiba, Soki Ohmae
Location: 3-3-6 Takizawa Building 3F, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Founded: June 2017
Business content: Investment and collaborative support in drone and air mobility related fields
Website: http://dronefund.vc[About SkyDrive Co., Ltd.]Aircraft, drone, and automobile engineers aim to commercialize flying cars and contribute to a future mobility society.
Developed "Flying Cars" and "Cargo Drones" with a focus on The flying car successfully completed a public manned flight in August 2020, and was reported in 113 countries around the world. The service is scheduled to start in Osaka in 2023. Cargo drones capable of transporting heavy objects are on sale.
Company name: SkyDrive Inc.
Representative: Tomohiro Fukuzawa, Representative Director and CEO
Head office location: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0072
Website: https://skydrive2020.com/[What is "GlobalSign"]We started providing services in Belgium in 1996, when electronic authentication services were just beginning to appear in the world, and we were the first certification authority in Europe to obtain WebTrust certification. We have a long track record of working with Belgian government-related organizations, and provide certification to the Belgian Government Certification Authority, which is the top certification authority for Belgian e-government projects such as eID (*6) (BELPIC). We joined the GMO Internet Group in 2006 and have been selling and developing government-level security not only in Japan but around the world. Currently, we have a track record of issuing 25 million electronic certificates, including SSL server certificates, and a large number of deliveries to government-related organizations and major companies.

(*6)eID: A national ID card project started as part of Belgium's e-government project. ID cards with electronic certificates will be distributed to all Belgian citizens over the age of 12.
Company name: GMO GlobalSign Inc.
Representative: Representative Director and President Ichiro Nakajo
Head office location: 1-2-3 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Shibuya Fukuras
Website: https://jp.globalsign.com/[About Prodrone Co., Ltd.]Prodrone Co., Ltd. is a B2B company whose goal is to become the world's number one industrial drone system manufacturer and change the world. We provide a one-stop service for many companies entering the industrial drone market, from research consulting, aircraft development, control software development, service application development, and mass production.
Company name: PRODRONE Co., Ltd.
Representative: Masakazu Kono, President and Representative Director
Head office location: 1-115 Nakahira, Tenpaku-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 468-0014
Website: https://www.prodrone.com/jp