Now drones are just starting to launch into nonmilitary markets, and Downey’s startup, Airware, hopes to build a standard operating system to speed their adoption. He compares his company’s platform to DOS, the Microsoft software that helped propel the early era of personal computing.

 

The Newport Beach, California, company, which raised $10.7 million from venture-capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Google Ventures last month, is among a number of startups that are anticipating a future where it will be common for businesses, public agencies, and individuals to pilot drones.