Japan’s SORA Technology raises $2.5 million to scale health drones in Africa

SORA Technology, a Japan-based drone technology startup, has raised an additional $2.5 million in the second close of its late-seed funding round, strengthening its push to scale drone- and AI-powered health and climate solutions across Africa. 

The new capital brings the company’s total funding to about $7.3 million, following a $4.8 million late-seed round completed in March 2025. The latest round attracted three new investors, including Daiwa House Group Investment Limited Partnership, Central Japan Innovative Research Fund I, and UNERI Capital Fund Series I, joining existing shareholders in backing SORA’s mission to tackle infectious diseases and climate-related challenges using advanced aerial and data technologies.

The funding pushes SORA Technology beyond pilot projects into a scaling phase, at a time when many African countries continue to grapple with fragile public-health infrastructure. It also signals growing confidence among institutional Japanese investors in Africa-focused health technology, reinforcing a model that combines advanced aerial systems with local public health frameworks.

“We are deeply grateful and encouraged by the support shown through this funding round, which reflects strong alignment with our vision and social mission,” said Yosuke Kaneko, founder and CEO at SORA Technology. “SORA Technology has been working to address critical healthcare infrastructure challenges – primarily across Africa— to achieve zero loss of life due to infectious diseases by leveraging the power of drones and AI.”

Founded in Japan in 2018 after early groundwork in 2015, SORA Technology focuses on applying drones, satellites, and artificial intelligence to public health and environmental monitoring. Its flagship initiative, SORA Malaria Control, targets one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. Malaria infects more than 200 million people globally each year, the vast majority of them in Africa, and causes close to 600,000 deaths annually. SORA’s approach combines drone-based mosquito control with AI-driven disease forecasting to make interventions more targeted, efficient, and cost-effective.

The company has already deployed its solutions in more than 10 African countries, including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Kenya, and Mozambique. It works closely with national and local governments, research institutions, universities, and international organisations, and has partnered with the World Health Organization to support sustainable malaria control efforts in Mozambique.

SORA’s technology is also being applied in sectors such as agriculture, mining, and environmental monitoring, where drones and AI are used to improve productivity, reduce environmental impact, and support operational oversight.

According to SORA, the new funding will be used to advance its AI algorithms for infectious disease prediction, expand field operations across African partner countries, strengthen collaborations with governments and global institutions, and enhance its drone systems and local operational capacity.