Airbound has raised $8.65 million in seed funding to advance its ultra-light tail-sitter drones aimed at achieving one-cent delivery costs. The round was led by Lachy Groom with participation from Lightspeed, Humba Ventures, and senior leaders from Tesla, SpaceX, and Anduril. The Bengaluru-based startup has started a three-month pilot with Narayana Health to deliver medical tests, blood samples, and essential supplies.
The drone features a blended-wing-body design that launches vertically like a rocket and transitions to fixed-wing flight for better energy efficiency. Built with a carbon fiber frame and powered by lithium-ion batteries, it is designed to reduce weight and lower maintenance costs. Airbound currently spends about ₹24 per delivery and targets bringing this below ₹5 by 2026. Each aircraft costs around $2,000 to manufacture, and the company plans to operate through a pay-per-delivery model rather than selling drones. With production expected to scale from one unit a day to more than 100 per day by mid-2027, Airbound aims to expand from healthcare logistics to wider commercial use.
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