Small companies like Granta Autonomy often succeed in producing efficient and affordable products in the drone market where larger firms struggle due to several key factors:

1. Agility & Innovation

• Small firms can pivot quickly based on market needs, whereas larger corporations are often burdened by bureaucracy and slow decision-making.
• They have fewer layers of management, allowing them to test, iterate, and deploy new ideas faster.

2. Lower Overhead & Focused R&D

• Big corporations have massive overhead costs (executive salaries, marketing, compliance, etc.), which inflates product prices.
• Smaller firms streamline R&D, focusing only on what’s necessary, resulting in cost-effective and performance-driven solutions.

3. Specialized Niche Expertise

• Large companies often spread themselves too thin, trying to dominate multiple sectors (military, consumer, industrial, etc.).
• A small firm like Granta Autonomy can laser-focus on a niche market (e.g., autonomous drone navigation, mapping, or industrial applications) and perfect it.

4. Lower Risk Aversion

• Corporate decision-making is risk-averse due to stakeholders and stock prices.
• Small firms are more willing to experiment with new tech, open-source software, and alternative manufacturing processes.

5. Leveraging Open-Source & Cost-Effective Manufacturing

• Many small firms use open-source platforms (e.g., PX4, Ardupilot) instead of developing expensive proprietary systems.
• They also partner with specialized manufacturers rather than investing in costly in-house production.

6. Customer-Centric Approach

• Large firms often dictate what they think the market needs.
• Smaller companies directly engage with customers and adapt to real-world feedback, producing better, more practical solutions.

7. Avoiding Corporate Red Tape & Legacy Systems

• Large firms often rely on outdated legacy systems and processes.
• Small firms can build from the ground up using modern, efficient technology without being tied to old infrastructures.

Big Companies That Struggled

Even giants like GoPro (Karma Drone), 3D Robotics (Solo Drone), and Intel (Falcon 8+) failed in the drone market due to:

• Overpricing
• Overengineering
• Poor software integration
• Lack of market fit

Conclusion

Granta Autonomy and similar small companies thrive because they’re fast, focused, and frugal—avoiding the pitfalls of large corporations while staying agile and customer-driven. This lets them develop affordable, efficient drones that meet actual demand rather than corporate projections.