At Arwen Sternoz, we had the pleasure of seeing our journey featured in Le Télégramme. The co-founders, Maxime Viel and François Maillard, enthusiastically shared their paths, their vision, and the behind-the-scenes of this innovative company specialized in drone light shows.
From a bold idea to the creation of a pioneering company in Western France, discover the captivating story of two childhood friends who combined their skills to deliver spectacular, tailor-made experiences.
Dive into this article that tells the story of Maxime and François’s dream coming true and their ambition to push the boundaries of the events industry with a fleet of next-generation drones.
Learn more about their adventure in the full article:
Published on December 28, 2024, at 4:22 p.m., updated at 8:00 p.m.
Arwen Sternoz is the name of this new company based in Vannes since October 2024. It offers the creation and organization of drone shows – a first in Western France.
Maxime Viel and François Maillard, co-founders of Arwen Sternoz in Vannes, develop tailor-made drone shows.
(Arwen Sternoz)
It’s the story of two childhood friends from Château-Gontier (Mayenne), who both studied at business schools and, at 38 years old, decided to team up to create Arwen Sternoz, specializing in drone shows.
Maxime Viel and François Maillard share a passion for technology.
“We were always big fans of remote-controlled devices. Even before dreaming of creating a company, we found it incredible what could be achieved with these small aircraft,” say the two friends. Maxime worked
in the banking sector, while François built his career in international trade.
A dream come true
This project is the realization of a long-time dream for the two entrepreneurs, who always wanted to start their own business.
“One day, I stumbled upon a video of a drone show and thought there was a market, especially since nothing like it existed in Western France. I immediately thought of François.”
Between François’s creative flair in event planning, design, and communication, and Maxime’s skills in business, finance, and aeronautics (he also trained as an airline pilot), they make a perfect team.
Maxime’s sister, Justine, a design and communication instructor in Nantes, is also part of the team.
Passionate about remote control technology, Maxime and François earned their remote pilot certification in 2024 in Vannes, trained by Arnaud Viel, who pioneered drone shows at Puy du Fou. (Arwen Sternoz)
During shows, drones are set up in compartments on lightweight pallets. After completing their choreography, they return to their starting point. (Drotek)
A fleet of 1,000 drones
Arwen Sternoz has equipped itself with a fleet of 1,000 next-generation drones.
“Generally, shows last between 12 and 14 minutes. With these 2025 drones, we can go up to 25 minutes,” they explain.
Each drone weighs 320 grams and measures 20 cm by 20 cm.
The Vannes-based company offers drone shows to cities, communities, businesses, festivals, sports gatherings, nautical events, and theme parks.
They also plan to develop tailor-made choreographies, possibly with original music compositions.
“But planning is crucial,” Maxime and François emphasize, “between the design, programming, topographic surveys, and flight authorization requests to the Civil Aviation Authority.”
By Anne Paulou
