Bermudian high flyer Connor Burns has attended a summit for entrepreneurs featuring US President Barack Obama.

Mr Burns, co-founder of Bermuda Aerial Media and Canada-based Skymatics with business partner E.J. Burrows, was invited to go to the US government’s Global Entrepreneurial Summit last month by the US State Department and the US Consulate in Bermuda.

He was nominated to attend by the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation and was selected to go to the Stamford University conference by the US State Department, who funded his participation.

The conference, which also featured leaders of some of the world’s top hi-tech firms, was designed to help young entrepreneurs with networking.

Mr Burns, who is looking for funding to expand Skymatics with a drone software product for agricultural insurance firms, said: “The connections I made there, as well as the publicity we got, will help us with our first round of venture capital financing.”

Bermuda Aerial Media used drones for aerial photography for media and entertainment companies, while Skymatics focuses on computer-based aerial imaging to quantify weather-related damage to crops, increasing the accuracy of claims and reducing overheads and turnaround time for insurance companies.

The Bermuda arm of the business employs five people, while the Skymatics office in Calgary has a staff of eight.

Mr Burns said he was impressed by a summit presentation featuring Mr Obama and billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and other leading entrepreneurs.

He added it was “great” to hear the advice of some of the world’s top businessmen.

And he said: “From Uber and Air BnB to Google and LinkedIn — their stories are inspiring and really pushed the idea that an overnight success is usually years, if not decades, in the making.”

Mr Burns added: “The Global Summit was a great experience. I got to meet an amazing number of business leaders and venture capitalists from around the world.”

US Consul General Mary Ellen Koenig said: “We were pleased to nominate several dynamic young entrepreneurs from Bermuda for the summit and delighted that Connor was chosen in a very competitive worldwide selection process.

“He is a great representative of Bermuda, showcasing the ideas, intellect and energy that bode well for Bermuda’s future.”