DroneDeploy and Shepherd launch data-backed premium savings for safer construction

SAN FRANCISCO – July 16, 2026 – DroneDeploy, the robotics and AI platform used on over 3 million sites, today announced a partnership with Shepherd, the AI-native commercial insurance provider for construction and renewable energy. 

Under the agreement, contractors and owners running DroneDeploy on their projects will qualify for premium savings of up to 25% on Shepherd’s casualty products, based on a measurably lower risk profile that Shepherd quantified through a multi-year actuarial review of its own construction claims database.

This partnership is anchored on the most comprehensive risk study Shepherd has completed in reality capture to date. Comparing Commercial General Liability loss experience between 2019 and 2024, Shepherd analyzed 107 DroneDeploy users against 699 non-users across its contractor book.

Key findings from the Shepherd analysis:

• DroneDeploy users experience 44% fewer claims and carry a 48% lower overall loss rate compared to non-users.
• Contractors using DroneDeploy Ground and Aerial products together have an average of 51% lower general liability loss rates than non-users. The same combined-modality cohort carries an average loss rate 47% lower than Aerial-only users and 23% lower than Ground-only users.
• Loss performance improves as DroneDeploy adoption matures. Tenured users (past the first 24 months of onboarding) saw their loss rates decrease by 35% compared to their pre-adoption experience.
• Based on these findings, qualifying contractors and owners can receive premium savings of up to 25% on new Shepherd casualty products, tied to verified DroneDeploy usage across the insured project or portfolio.

For underwriters, the Ground-plus-Aerial finding adds a new dimension to the previous understanding of this technology’s impact on jobsites. Most reality capture analyses to date have measured a single modality. Shepherd’s study isolates the combined effect of drone-based aerial mapping and 360 ground walks captured on the same project, then tracks loss outcomes against contractors that adopted only one or neither. A 51% reduction in GL loss rate for combined-modality users is the largest delta Shepherd has reported against a technology partner.

A second finding matters for owners and program managers structuring multi-year wraps. Breaking the post-adoption window into an onboarding phase (the first 24 months) and a tenured phase shows that DroneDeploy improved across both safety and quality as documentation discipline takes hold across their portfolio. Tenured DroneDeploy users saw their loss rates decrease by 35% compared to their pre-adoption experience.

“For Shepherd, the question has never been whether reality capture reduces risk. It is which platforms, used in which way, produce loss outcomes we can underwrite with confidence,” said Justin Levine, CEO and co-founder of Shepherd. “DroneDeploy is the first partner where we can quantify the combined effect of Ground and Aerial product usage on the same project, and where we see loss performance continue to improve with tenure. We’re building on what’s already the most advanced pricing model in the industry, and are thrilled to continue rewarding contractors and owners who run the platform across an entire portfolio, well beyond a single jobsite.”

"What convinced Shepherd was their own data, not ours. They ran this analysis against their own claims database, and the numbers landed where the field already knew they would," said Matt Daly, Chief Marketing Officer at DroneDeploy. "48% lower loss rate, 51% for teams using Ground and Aerial together, and 35% improvement once usage matures point to something we’ve known for a decade but struggled to quantify: reality capture goes hand in hand with risk reduction. For qualifying customers, that translates into premium savings of up to 25% on Shepherd casualty coverage. It is what happens when a general contractor or owner has a complete visual record of every project, every week, that every project stakeholder can reference."

Eligibility opens immediately for contractors and owners placing new Shepherd casualty coverage, including wrap-ups and Owner Controlled Insurance Programs (OCIPs). Existing DroneDeploy customers can qualify on their next renewal. Credits are applied based on documented platform usage across the insured project or portfolio.

The full data study is available at shepherdinsurance.com/dronedeploy-savings-study. 

Contractors and owners interested in the program can request details at  shepherdinsurance.com or through their broker.

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About DroneDeploy

DroneDeploy powers field teams with robotics and AI. Used on over 3 million sites in 180 countries, DroneDeploy is the only platform that combines drones, robots, 360 cameras and AI agents to capture and organize site conditions into a single, time-stamped record that teams can trust in the field and office. From construction and energy to infrastructure and agriculture, the world’s largest companies use DroneDeploy to document work in place, verify quantities, resolve disputes faster and keep projects on time, on budget and safe.

About Shepherd

Shepherd is the AI-native insurance technology platform making risk frictionless for builders and operators shaping the physical world. The company combines proprietary AI underwriting technology, real-time construction data integrations, and deep industry expertise to deliver commercial insurance with speed, precision, and intelligence. Shepherd insures construction, infrastructure, and energy projects for companies ranging from mid-market general contractors to the firms building frontier AI infrastructure. Headquartered in San Francisco with offices nationwide. For more information about Shepherd, visit shepherdinsurance.com.

Media contact:

Escalate PR for DroneDeploy

[email protected] 

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