ZenaTech buys Merritt Paul in 29th DaaS deal

ZenaTech completed its 29th Drone as a Service acquisition by buying Merritt Paul Land Surveying, a Georgia firm with solar and transportation clients and survey licensing in 17 states. The deal expands ZenaTech’s reach in utility-scale solar, rail and airport surveying as the company pushes a subscription drone model.

Why it matters: - The acquisition expands ZenaTech’s Drone as a Service platform into utility-scale solar and transportation infrastructure, two areas where drone surveying and inspection demand is growing. - Merritt Paul brings an existing client base, specialized survey work and licensing across 17 states, which gives ZenaTech a wider operating footprint. - ZenaTech is using acquisitions to build recurring revenue from drone-based surveying and inspection services instead of only selling hardware.

What happened: - ZenaTech completed the acquisition of Merritt Paul Land Surveying, LLC, a land surveying firm based in Franklin, Georgia. - The deal is ZenaTech’s 29th Drone as a Service acquisition. - Merritt Paul was founded in 2015 and has served solar, transportation and construction customers. - Merritt Paul has done work for a major national transportation company.

The details: - Merritt Paul specializes in utility-scale solar surveys across the U.S. - The firm is licensed to perform land surveys in 17 states. - Merritt Paul provides topographic, ALTA, boundary, as-built and construction layout surveys. - The company also focuses on utility-scale solar and battery storage projects. - Its customer base includes solar developers, transportation, construction, and municipal, county and state infrastructure customers in Atlanta and Southwest Georgia. - ZenaTech said Merritt Paul founders Tyler Bius and Levi George each bring more than a decade of survey experience with major rail and airport clients. - ZenaTech said the acquisition deepens its platform in solar, railroad and airport surveying. - ZenaTech’s DaaS model uses subscription-based drone services and its ZenaDrone aircraft for surveying, inspections, maintenance, power washing and precision agriculture. - The company says the model removes the need for customers to own, operate and maintain commercial drone fleets.

Between the lines: - ZenaTech is targeting industries where manual surveying is slower, costlier and more disruptive than drone-based data collection. - Utility-scale solar inspection often uses thermal imaging to find underperforming panels, wiring faults and hot spots. - Management expects growth in solar capacity and tighter safety and compliance requirements in transportation and aviation to support demand for drone services. - The company is building by buying profitable but under-digitized service businesses and adding drone automation to them.

What's next: - ZenaTech plans to keep expanding its geographic footprint, service offerings and drone capabilities. - The company expects demand for drone-based inspection and survey work to rise as solar, rail and airport operators continue shifting away from manual methods. - ZenaTech also continues to pursue its broader acquisition-led DaaS roll-up strategy across legacy service industries.

The bottom line: - ZenaTech is using acquisitions to turn drone technology into a recurring-service business with broader state coverage and deeper exposure to infrastructure markets.