Alec Wilson, COO of Spexi, explains how LayerDrone became the world’s largest standardized drone imagery network, and why Spexi made the decision to spin LayerDrone out into a public-good, crypto-economic protocol. He goes on to share:

• his journey from helicopter pilot to building one of the most ambitious aerial data networks in the world,
• the regulatory evolution of drones in Canadian airspace,
• how LayerDrone standardizes imagery from thousands of pilots, and
• why spatial AI, world models, and next-gen robotics companies are hungry for ultra-high-resolution, frequently updated aerial data.

Discussed

• How to go from flying helicopters to co-founding a drone training company that certified 10,000+ pilots
• The founding vision behind LayerDrone as an open-source, crypto-economic protocol for standardized drone imagery
• Why Spexi spun out LayerDrone and their role as the founding core contributor
• How the network balances pilot agency with safety requirements and regulatory compliance
• The relationship between Spexi (demand) and LayerDrone (supply)

Timecodes

• (00:00) - LayerDrone: the World’s Largest Standardized Drone
• (00:20) - Alec Wilson: Helicopter Pilot to Drone COO
• (01:51) - Alec co-founds Coastal Drone
• (04:17) - LayerDrone's founding vision
• (06:37) - Spexi's relationship with LayerDrone
• (07:47) - LayerDrone standardizes and coordinates thousands of drones
• (09:57) - Why take the risk of creating LayerDrone?
• (16:32) - Innovation or Idiotic?

Hosted by Bryce Bladon | Edited by AJ Fillari | Sponsored by Spexi.com & LayerDrone.org