With wildfires growing more destructive across the globe, one B.C. startup is taking the fight to the skies—literally.
FireSwarm Solutions, a finalist for the Company of the Year – Startup award at the 2025 BC Tech Technology Impact Awards (TIAs), is developing autonomous, ultra heavy-lift drone swarms that can suppress wildfires 24/7, including overnight when conventional aircraft are grounded.
FireSwarm co-founder and CEO Alex Deslauriers knows the stakes all too well. In 2023, he lost his property in the Gun Lake wildfire. Watching helplessly as the flames advanced unchecked overnight became the catalyst for launching FireSwarm.
“I realized we need automated, around-the-clock firefighting solutions,” says Deslauriers. “Fire doesn’t stop at sunset—our response shouldn’t either.”
Unlike smaller electric drones with limited capacity, FireSwarm’s drones are powered by jet engines and can carry up to 400 kilograms for about two hours. Through an exclusive Americas distribution deal with Sweden’s ACC Innovation, FireSwarm outfits these drones with proprietary wildfire suppression kits and its own swarm coordination algorithm.
The result? Multiple drones working in concert to accurately hit fire hotspots—a capability currently unmatched in the market.
“It’s a completely different scale of intervention,” Deslauriers explains. “These aren’t eyes in the sky—they’re suppression tools.”
Founded in late 2023, FireSwarm has moved quickly. The team has expanded from three co-founders to a group that includes AI and drone specialists. Early traction includes launch customers like 3 Points in Space Media and Strategic Natural Resource Group, along with paid pilot projects with the City of Kelowna.
On the funding front, the startup has raised $1.1 million in dilutive capital and secured non-dilutive support from NRC IRAP and NorthX Climate Tech. The team is currently testing its swarm tech in Squamish, with full-scale flight trials underway in Sweden.
Like many deep tech startups, FireSwarm has faced headwinds in today’s venture landscape. “VCs tend to lean SaaS,” says Deslauriers. “Software + Hardware business models—especially in regulated sectors—is a harder sell.”
To counter this, FireSwarm has built strategic partnerships with aviation and defense stakeholders, unlocking not just capital but critical industry connections. Regulatory momentum from Transport Canada has further accelerated development.
Being based in B.C.—a province that’s become synonymous with devastating wildfire seasons—has deeply influenced FireSwarm’s mission and culture.
“We’re solving a problem that affects our backyard,” says Deslauriers. “And the local support ecosystem has been incredible.”
That ecosystem includes not only eager early adopters like Kelowna’s fire department but also innovation programs from NorthX, Spring Activator, Creative Destructive Lab, and NRC IRAP.
For FireSwarm, being named a Startup of the Year finalist is more than just an accolade.
“It validates that we’re not just building something cool—we’re building something that matters,” Deslauriers says. “This recognition shows the business community believes in our mission—and that we’re poised to scale both our impact and our reach.”
FireSwarm’s journey, born from personal loss and powered by cutting-edge technology, is a testament to B.C.’s innovation resilience in the face of climate crisis.
