We had the good fortune of connecting with Derrick Frohne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Derrick, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born in Florida although in my adolescent years I remember Sevierville Tennessee to be home and lived 3 minutes drive from Dolly Parton’s parents’ former farmhouse on Millican Grove Road in the middle of nowhere. Growing up surrounded by the Smoky Mountains, I would hangout in Sevierville, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, where I developed a deep appreciation for nature, creativity, and community. During the summer months, my family would fly me to Florida to be with my father’s side of the family in a little Swiss restaurant that my Oma founded after she moved from Ibach, Schwyz. These environments gave me a strong sense of purpose and humility. Being raised in a place known for storytelling, historical features, mountainous views, ocean views, and resilience inspired me to think big while staying grounded. That mindset directly shaped how I built AeroFrohne, fusing innovative technologies I discovered recently like Thermal Pixel Genesis and Acoustic Pixel Genesis with real world impact. My humble roots taught me to value hard work, legacy, and using my talents to help others, which is exactly what drives AeroFrohne’s mission today. My background in aviation & technology shaped my approach to innovation with purpose. Family and God are the reasons I’m where I am today.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
AeroFrohne is a Texas based geospatial technology company pushing the limits of how we understand, visualize, and respond to the physical world. AeroFrohne specializes in Ai powered thermal and acoustic imaging, 3D modeling, aerial mapping, and cutting edge innovations like Thermal Pixel Genesis and Acoustic Pixel Genesis; two systems I discovered to generate volumetric data in environments where traditional systems fall short.

What sets us apart isn’t just our technology it’s our creativity, agility, and deep sense of purpose. While many companies in this space have large budgets, AeroFrohne thrives on imagination and problem solving. I take pride in designing solutions before there’s even a market demand, because I’m thinking of use cases for the future today and understanding pain points directly from R&D challenges.

One of the proudest milestones was building a fully interactive 3D thermal and acoustic platform from scratch, running it on equipment not originally designed for it, and proving it functional in the field. That level of innovation took many hours of trial and error, late nights, and an unshakable belief that the tech could make a difference.

Getting to this point wasn’t easy. There were no shortcuts, just resilience. I started AeroFrohne with limited funding, working two jobs, strong vision, and a willingness to learn everything: LiDAR scanning, photogrammetry, piloting multiple types of drones and sensor payloads, 3D gaussian splatting, web development, thermography, aerial OGI methane detection, Ai analysis, FAA regulations, federal procurement, and more. I faced hurdles in scaling and gaining trust in a competitive space and I’m overcoming them through persistence, mentorship, and relentless research.

Support from organizations like Apex Accelerators, the SBA, and the SBDC, and partners like Charito, gave me the tools and encouragement I needed. Every challenge became a stepping stone. Every setback, a lesson.

Lessons I’ve learned?

Creativity beats capital when you’re focused and resourceful.
Integrity and privacy must be non-negotiable, especially when working with sensitive data.
Listening to clients and designing around their unmet needs is the fastest path to relevance and impact.

What I want the world to know:
Aerofrohne is not just a drone company, it’s a mission piloted innovation firm redefining what’s possible in geospatial intelligence. Whether it’s helping communities prepare for natural disasters, enabling military situational awareness, mapping oilfields and utility poles with accurate RGB + thermal scans, LiDAR scanning large warehouses, creating high resolution 360° interactive thermal and ultrasound mapping, to designing a workstation to render 8k resolution efficiently; Aerofrohne’s committed to delivering solutions that are both visionary and real world ready.

At the heart of AeroFrohne is a belief that technology should serve people and AeroFrohne’s just getting started.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Buckle your seatbelt ladies and gentlemen, we’re going for a ride.

Day 1: Coastal Vibes
Kick things off with coffee and pastries at Bien Mérité because nothing says, I’m glad you made it from Québec like a croissant the size of your face. Then walk downtown Corpus Christi at the Bayfront Marina pretend we’re not sweating. Next, a drive to all the local art murals then I would drive him to eat lunch at Pho Life since the pho is the best tasting in Corpus Christi.

Day2: History & Culture
Breakfast at House of Frohne, then spend the day touring the USS Lexington. They say it’s haunted, so if you feel a chill, don’t blame that AC. For Lunch would be Aquabite Market & Kitchen for lobster roll and freedom fries. Next, we’d visit the Texas State Aquarium with the limited time remaining from our adventure. Don’t try to out swim the dolphins because you’ll lose.

Day 3: Arts, Music & Innovation
Breakfast at House of Frohne, then visit Art Museum of South Texas which blends architecture, art, and bay views then pretend to understand it. For lunch, Elizabeth’s at the Art Museum for a Levantine. Afternoon, show Vincent the Aerofrohne lab, aka the garage to showcase thermal pixel genesis in action with Vincent as the subject. Then drive to House of Rock since they have great bands, cold drinks, and good enough volume to make sure you say what 32 times.

Day 4: Day Trip
Breakfast at House of Frohne, then I’ll drive to Port Aransas like an unpaid uber driver and along the way, capture memories one pixel at a time with the sandcastle at Ocean Treasures Gift Shop. Then drive to Magee Beach and fly drones. Our lunch would be pesto chicken sandwich and honey sriracha sweet potato fries or if Vincent prefers rabbit food, there is chicken caesar salad minus the chicken.

Day 5: Fish, Paddle, Repeat
Breakfast at House of Frohne with whatever is left in my kitchen, then fishing at Docs Pier. It’s relaxing until someone yells I got one, then chaos happens. I’ll cook what we catch unless it’s another person’s fishing line. Next we’ll go kayaking at Packery Channel and paddle around like professionals or drift away like forgotten pool toys.

Day 6: Recovery & Reflections
Breakfast at the House of Frohne consists of Bacon Kimchi stew, which is one of my favorite stews to cook. In the afternoon watch Interstellar, which justifies the 11 minutes of silence afterwards. For lunch, we’ll eat leftovers since I don’t like to waste food. Next will be Stranger Things to justify the intensity of House of Rock on Day 3. For the final dinner I’ll cook butternut squash pasta with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano and drizzle aged balsamic vinegar on top then speak about the trip like we returned from a National Geographic expedition.

After the type of week, you will not need another vacation, only a chiropractor, food detox, and maybe one more episode of The Office to feel whole again.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s no doubt that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the grace of God and the unwavering support of my family. Their prayers, love, and belief in me have been the foundation behind every challenge I’ve overcome and every milestone Aerofrohne has reached. When the future was uncertain, their strength gave me the clarity to keep creating.

I’m also deeply thankful to Apex Accelerators, the Small Business Administration, and the Small Business Development Center. Their expert guidance helped me navigate the complexities of city, county, federal government contracting, small business growth, and strategic planning when I was just getting AeroFrohne off the ground.

A special shoutout goes to Charito, affectionately known as “Eat n Run”, the Co-Founder of the House of Frohne. She’s been so much more than a partner: a trusted mentor, research collaborator, mother of my child, creative model for multiple projects, and a constant source of inspiration. She’s more than a nurse, her insight, encouragement, and steady belief in my vision have been instrumental in turning ideas into reality. I couldn’t have progressed without her.

This journey hasn’t always been easy, but with the right people, faith, and support systems, Aerofrohne has become more than a business, t’s a mission. For everyone who’s played a role in that mission, I am profoundly grateful.

Website: https://www.aerofrohne.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aerofrohne

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aerofrohne/

Twitter: https://x.com/aerofrohne

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aerofrohne

Image Credits
AeroFrohne

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