James Murdoch will have a new tech venture to discuss when he joins the other billionaires milling about at the annual Allen & Co. retreat in Idaho next month.

The younger son of media magnate Rupert Murdoch, who parted ways with the family business after it struck a $US71 billion ($56 billion) deal to sell a swath of assets to Walt Disney this year, has backed the seed round of a Norwegian drone technology company.

UBIQ Aerospace, which refers to itself as a "deep tech startup," announced that it has raised seed financing from Murdoch's Lupa Systems and Norwegian tech accelerator NTNU Accel. The business hopes to introduce new de-icing systems -- called D-ICE -- that will "transform" unmanned aircraft operations in cold climates.

The company's first product is being targeted as much for commercial use as military use, UBIQ Aerospace Chief Executive Officer Kim Lynge Sorensen said in an interview.