• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, May 7, 2015

Consumers research products on a marketplace or search engine like Amazon, Bing, Google, or Yahoo, and click through paid search or on a shopping ad to buy it. Amazon has a pretty quick turnaround. The package often arrives the next day. Same-day service is closer to becoming a reality, as consumers in the United States making purchases through Google or Amazon could soon have the option for same-day delivery via drone.

The Federal Aviation Administration agreed Wednesday that it would work with two private U.S. operators to study drone flights beyond the sight of the operator. Drone makers PrecisionHawk and BNSF Railway, owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, won the deal. The FAA also said it would partner with cable television news network CNN to test news gathering in urban areas.

In 2014, investment in the drone industry topped $108 million across 29 deals, according to CB Insights data. Funding from 2013 to 2014 rose 104% as venture firms including Lightspeed Venture Partners, GGV Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers \, among others began making "sizeable" investment.

Airware is the most well-funded having raised $40 million from firms First Round Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Felicis Ventures, as well as a strategic investment from GE Ventures. 3D Robotics is a close second, raising $35 million from True Ventures, O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures and Mayfield Fund. Xaircraft, Skycatch, Cyphy Works round out the top five most well-funded private drone startups.