A deep-tech startup that wants to make Nikola Tesla’s vision for wireless power transmission a reality has received $2 million in follow up funding.

Alua Group led the round for Aquila, with existing investors Blackbird and Icehouse supporting it. had backed a $3 million Seed Round 12 months earlier.

Aquila, co-founded by 24-year old Billy Jeremijenko with ex-Rocket Lab Engineer Nelson Smith, was part of Startmate accelerator last year.

Lightway Sentry is the first product that they have developed. It uses photonics, light beams sent by a transmitter to a solar-cell receiver on a drone to keep it flying.

Jeremijenko said that the new capital would be used to boost staffing and accelerate Lightway Sentry’s development in preparation for commercial release.

He said, “We are on track to release to the market the first optical power beaming product in the world and recruit the best people from around the world to join our mission.”

We’ve met all of our seed funding goals, including scaling up our technology and creating a product certification path.

“We have demonstrated proof-of-concept and are now focusing on making Lightway Sentry a complete solution to provide 24/7 aerial scenario awareness, transforming productivity for many drone applications.”

Aquila’s testing earlier this year showed that it was possible to charge drones wirelessly at a distance of 50m, which is 10 times more than previous attempts using similar technology. They hope to scale wireless charging for larger drones from DJI and other small drones.

Aquila’s plan is to scale up its wireless energy technology globally, using clean energy.interest has been shown by global customers such as the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Alua Group founder Josh Best called Jeremijenko’s vision for power distribution “nothing less than revolutionary”.

“His ability drive progress and attract top tier talent propels Aquila’s introduction of a groundbreaking product, Lightway Sentry, and redefine global energy dynamics,” said he.

“We’re excited to support Aquila in their transition from a promising start-up to a leader in wireless energy solutions. This will pave the way for a world where energy can be transported wirelessly across the globe.”

The startup’s vision is to build the “internet” of energy, which will be a space-based optical system that will supply electricity to markets around the world.