American Autonomy, Inc., located at 300 East Main Street, represents the next stage of the agricultural technology company’s growth as it shifts away from equipment sales and focuses on software development.
“Our headquarters have always been local, just outside of Iowa City,” said Mariah Scott, CEO. “As we shifted away from equipment sales and focused on software, we needed an office that was a better fit for our new strategy.”
Solon, just 20 minutes outside of Iowa City, quickly rose to the top of the list. “Our CFO, John Stromert, lives in Solon and recommended the space we found,” Scott said. “It is a perfect fit for everything we need going forward.”
Beyond the physical space, the location places American Autonomy, Inc. in the heart of an agricultural community, which is a strategic advantage for a company building tools specifically for farmers.
“Our software is made for agriculture drones and the operators who run them,” Scott said. “It is important for us to be near agriculture to understand our customers and their needs.”
American Autonomy, Inc. builds software platforms that help drone manufacturers and agricultural operators manage everything from mission planning to compliance reporting and business operations.
“We build software for drone manufacturers that is designed for farmers,” Scott explained.
The company’s technology stack includes three primary tools. Its Ground Control Station software is used for planning and controlling spraying and spreading missions. Drone Data Manager software supports flight operations, storing field data, flight logs, maintenance records, and warranty information on secure U.S. servers. AcreConnect®, the company’s operator platform, focuses on job management, billing, application maps, FAA reporting, and integrations with farm management software such as John Deere Operations Center™ and Climate FieldView™.
“Spray drones generate critical information about where, when, and how treatments happen,” Scott said. “Our software makes that data easy to see, access, and use, so operators can make informed decisions about precision spraying and spreading.”
One of the biggest challenges farmers face when using drone technology today is what happens to their data after a flight.
“Most farmers flying drones today run into the same problem,” Scott said. “The data goes in, but it’s tough, or more often impossible, getting it back out in a useful way. Farmers must re-enter field boundaries every single time, even for repeat jobs. Drone maintenance is pretty much guesswork.”
American Autonomy Inc.’s platform is designed to centralize that information and make it usable. Scott says with American Autonomy Inc.’s platform farmers not only own their data but can also use it.
Scott adds that the software keeps all relevant information, such as flight planning, flight analysis, maintenance, and more, in one place. Simply put, that means less manual work and clearer insights for farmers.
“Farmers can reuse field boundaries for repeat jobs,” she said. “They can generate reports for compliance, billing, and maintenance without the headache. Instead of data being locked away, they can turn it into decisions, insights, and efficiency.”
The company says its technology stands out in a crowded agricultural market.
“We are the only provider of application maps for DJI and XAG drones,” Scott said. “We have integrations with agriculture and business tools that others do not.”
This unique aspect is paired with the company’s strong focus on U.S.-built technology, especially in light of recent regulatory changes affecting various aspects of drone manufacturing.
“With the recent FCC drone ban (A ban covering drones manufactured overseas or manufactured domestically with major foreign-made parts), our software is also a great fit with current U.S. policy,” Scott said. “We are 100 percent built, secured, and hosted in the U.S.”
The Solon office is home to team members working in finance, customer success, and marketing, and that local presence plays a direct role in shaping the company’s products.
“Our customer success team talks to our customers every day,” Scott said. “They share feedback with the product development team to help make our products better.”
She adds that several major initiatives are already underway in the Solon office.
“We are working on integrations with new drones,” Seabrooke said of the company’s AcreConnect® system. Flight testing with various new software is also in progress.
Although the company was founded in just Aug. 2025, American Autonomy, Inc. has expanded quickly.
“We have moved incredibly quickly to create a completely new kind of software, get our first partner and set up our new office in Solon,” Scott said.
That first partner, Exedy® Drones, is expected to launch drones using American Autonomy Inc.’s operating platform for the 2026 season.
“The single metric that will define success for American Autonomy Inc. in the next 12 months is adoption of our software,” Scott said. “Both the number of drones and users who are using our software with their agricultural drone.”
She also emphasized that American Autonomy Inc.’s Solon presence is about more than just the physical office space.
“One of our biggest strengths is that our team is already local,” she said. “We live here, raise our families here, and actively participate in the Solon community.”
As the company settles in, Scott says that all American Autonomy Inc. employees hope residents will see them as a valuable part of the Solon community.
“As we join the Solon community, we want residents to know that American Autonomy Inc. is here to be a good neighbor first,” Scott said. “Our work focuses on creating safe, reliable, made in U.S. software that helps agricultural drone operators do their jobs more efficiently. Most importantly, we want Solon residents to feel proud that pioneering innovation in agriculture is happening right here in their town.”
For more information on American Autonomy Inc.’s work in Solon and beyond, visit their website at https://www.american-autonomy.com/ or call their Solon office at 319-201-3020.