SkyLens — On-Demand Drone Services for Nigerian Clients

Business Plan

Financial Snapshot

Executive Summary

SkyLens is a Nigerian on-demand drone services company delivering aerial photography, land mapping, crop-spraying, and construction site surveys to clients who cannot economically justify drone ownership. Headquartered in Lagos with active operations extending to Abuja and Ibadan, SkyLens targets three converging demand streams: Nigeria's booming events and real estate sectors, the federal government's precision-agriculture push, and rapid commercial construction activity across the country.

The business launches in Q3 2025 with one DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise and one DJI Agras T40 agricultural sprayer, operated under full Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Remote Pilot Aircraft System (RPAS) certification. Capital outlay is kept lean by design — a single founder-operator can generate meaningful early revenue while building a client roster.

Revenue model: per-shoot fees for photography/videography (₦150,000–₦350,000 per session), per-hectare pricing for mapping and spraying (₦8,000–₦18,000/ha), and retainer contracts with construction firms and agribusinesses.

Three-year headline targets:

| Year | Revenue (est.) | Gross Margin | Net Profit/(Loss) | |------|---------------|--------------|-------------------| | Y1 | ₦18.5 M | ~52% | ₦(1.2 M) | | Y2 | ₦42.0 M | ~58% | ₦6.8 M | | Y3 | ₦74.0 M | ~62% | ₦18.4 M |

SkyLens seeks ₦22 million in seed funding — ₦14 million for drone hardware and regulatory compliance, ₦5 million for working capital, and ₦3 million for marketing and systems. Funding may come from angel investors, the Bank of Industry SME fund, or a revenue-based financing partner.

The Nigerian drone services market is nascent but accelerating. SkyLens is positioned as the first professionally compliant, full-spectrum drone operator in its target markets, giving early movers a durable licensing and brand moat.

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Company Description

Legal name: SkyLens Nigeria Limited Structure: Private Limited Company incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Headquarters: Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State Operating locations (Year 1): Lagos, Abuja (Federal Capital Territory), Ibadan (Oyo State) Founded: 2025 Sector: Aviation / Drone Services (NAICS equivalent: Aerial Survey & Photography Services)

SkyLens exists to democratise access to aerial intelligence. Drone hardware costs — a DJI Agras T40 lists at ~₦18–22 million in Nigeria in 2025 — and NCAA licensing complexity price most small real estate firms, event planners, construction contractors, and smallholder farmer cooperatives out of drone ownership entirely. SkyLens acquires, certifies, and operates that hardware on their behalf, charging per engagement.

Core values: • Compliance first: every flight operates under valid NCAA RPAS approval, insurance, and airspace clearance — a legal requirement many informal operators ignore, creating liability exposure for clients • Data integrity: deliverables include processed orthomosaic maps, georeferenced shapefiles, and 4K video — not just raw footage • Speed-to-delivery: target 48-hour turnaround on edited deliverables

Competitive positioning statement: SkyLens is Nigeria's most accessible and most professionally compliant drone service, combining the reliability clients expect from a structured business with the agility and pricing a startup can offer.

Future expansion vision: a multi-city franchise/operator-partner model by Year 4, licensing the SkyLens brand, SOP library, and client management platform to vetted remote pilots in Port Harcourt, Kano, and Enugu — replicating the hub-and-spoke model used successfully by drone companies in South Africa and Kenya.

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Problem & Customer

The core problem: Nigeria's rapidly modernising economy demands aerial data — for precision farming, real estate marketing, infrastructure surveys, and event content — but the three barriers of cost, regulation, and technical expertise lock most organisations out of accessing it.