Lily Robotics pitched itself as a free-following, video-capturing, autonomous drone company. The company captured the gaze of investors like the Winklevoss twins (who famously sued Mark Zuckerberg over Facebook) and firms like Spark Capital (known for funding Twitter and Slack).
Cofounder Balaresque wrote in an email obtained by San Francisco District Attorney that the famed footage of a Lily drone following skiers and kayakers while they trekked through mountains and rivers was shot using a GoPro mounted on a $2,000 DJI Inspire drone. And according to bankruptcy paperwork, Lily was burning through roughly $1 million a month, while customers anxiously awaited their drones. The company filed for bankruptcy, and said in 2017 it plans to refund customers, but it's not clear if anyone has received a refund yet.
Business Insider tried contacting Balaresque and Bradlow, but they did not respond to requests for comment. According to LinkedIn, Bradlow is now a product manager at e-scooter company Lime.
Sources: Wired, Venture Beat, Forbes, Business Insider, Vox/Recode