What began as a focused solution to a single agricultural challenge has grown into something much larger. Today, this Malaysian company operates across more than 15 countries, with revenue approaching RM300 million, and is continuing to expand with new funding. Aonic, a homegrown drone technology company, has recently raised US$10 million in Series A funding, led by Kairous Capital and backed by Jelawang Capital.
The funding will support its global expansion, strengthen its research and development, and scale its Malaysia-built drones, software, and services. While the funding is an important milestone, it is only one part of the story.
The more interesting question is, how a Malaysian company focused on agriculture was able to grow into a regional player with a proven and scalable model.
Aonic: It Started with a Problem Most People Ignored
In many farms, spraying fertilisers and pesticides is still done manually.
Workers carry heavy tanks, walk long distances under the heat, and repeat the same process across large areas. It is slow, physically demanding, and increasingly difficult to sustain.
Most people see this as part of farming.
Aonic saw it as a system that could be improved.
Instead of accepting the process, founder Cheong Jin Xi approached it as an engineering problem. If spraying could be automated, farms could become faster, more consistent, and less dependent on manual labour.
That idea became the starting point.
Built in the Field, Not Just the Office
In its early years, Aonic did not prioritise rapid expansion. Instead, the team spent significant time working directly in farms, observing workflows and understanding where technology could create meaningful improvements.
This hands-on approach allowed the company to develop solutions based on actual operating conditions, rather than assumptions.
“This was during the first five years of our operations,” Cheong recalls.
“Such hands-on experience shaped how we built our solutions. By running fieldwork ourselves, we understood exactly where automation could transform operations.”
As a result, the company’s products were designed to be practical, usable, and adaptable to real-world environments, which helped support adoption among farmers.
Aonic: From a Product to a Full Business System
As the business grew, Aonic recognised that technology alone would not be sufficient to drive large-scale adoption.
Farmers required more than just equipment. They needed training, financing, and reliable support systems to ensure long-term usability.
In response, Aonic expanded beyond drone manufacturing to build a fully integrated ecosystem. The company now designs and manufactures its drones in-house, develops proprietary software, and provides training programmes alongside financing solutions.
It also operates more than 50 3S centres across Southeast Asia, offering sales, servicing, and spare parts support to ensure that operations can continue smoothly after deployment.
In some regions, this has also enabled individuals to operate drones as a service, creating additional income opportunities while extending the reach of the technology.
Real Results on the Ground
Based on internal data, farmers using its drone systems have experienced income increases of 50 percent, output improvements of around 54 percent, and reductions in water usage for spraying of approximately 75 percent compared with manual methods.
For larger plantation operators, the benefits extend further, as drone-based systems enable more consistent application of inputs and better tracking across large areas, improving overall operational visibility and planning.
Today, Aonic operates across more than 15 countries, with applications beyond agriculture, including industrial inspection and services.
The company has recorded triple-digit growth since 2022 and has been profitable since 2023, a combination that is not always common for hardware-based businesses.
For investors, this matters.
“We have been searching for transformative food and agri-technology for a long time, and Aonic is a rare Malaysia-based company that can deliver across Southeast Asia at scale,” said Adrian Hia, Partner at Kairous Capital.
“The team pairs deep technical capability with exceptional execution and financial discipline, bringing measurable outcomes for farmers.”
A Shift in Motion
The latest funding is not about proving an idea, but about taking something that already works and bringing it further.
“Aonic is scaling a proven system,” said Cheong.
“We’ve spent years building the engineering, manufacturing, and operational foundations to support real-world, field-ready operations.”
As Aonic expands into new markets and strengthens its capabilities, it also reflects a larger change. Agriculture is no longer just labour-intensive work.
It is becoming smarter, more efficient, and full of new possibilities.
What started as a simple effort to make work easier has grown into something much bigger, a Malaysian company now stepping confidently onto the global stage.
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