Advertisement
Bengaluru-based drone logistics firm Airbound raised USD 8.65 million in a seed funding round. The capital injection was led by Lachy Groom and saw participation from Humba Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners and senior executives from Tesla, Anduril and Ather Energy. Airbound intends to deploy these funds to scale its autonomous drone operations, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, where it recently initiated a pilot with Narayana Health. The startup aims to revolutionise last-mile delivery costs via automation.
In a major funding development, Airbound, the Bengaluru-headquartered autonomous logistics startup, announced that it had raised USD 8.65 million in seed funding. The funding round was spearheaded by Lachy Groom (cofounder of Physical Intelligence), with additional backing from Humba Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners and senior executives from Tesla, Anduril and Ather Energy. Advertisement
The proceeds will be channelled into accelerating Airbound?s drone development, scaling operations and implementing pilot projects. One such pilot has been launched in collaboration with Narayana Health, through which the firm plans to test drone-enabled delivery of medical supplies and samples across hospital networks. According to the company, drone deliveries can dramatically lower expenses compared to traditional modes, an objective they believe is essential to achieving scalable autonomous logistics.
Airbound?s proprietary drone design, known as the TRT (blended wing body tailsitter), is engineered for enhanced aerodynamic efficiency and lighter weight. The startup claims it is already achieving reliability levels between 94 % and 97 % in testing phases, though it remains cautious about broader deployment until error rates fall below 1 %. The human-in-the-loop strategy continues to guide operations for now ? every flight is supervised initially to validate safe drop zones, with gradual reduction of human oversight as the system matures.
Founders estimate that conventional delivery costs are multiple times higher than what drones might eventually deliver, especially when optimised at scale. The firm believes the current funding will bridge the gap sufficiently to test real-world viability in demanding environments such as Indian cities, where infrastructure and regulatory challenges are significant.
Investors expressed confidence in Airbound?s vision: they see it tackling inefficiencies in last-mile logistics and helping redefine expectations around delivery cost and speed. The timing is opportune, given rising investor interest in drone tech and stronger regulatory encouragement for domestic manufacturing.
5th Jun, 2025
25th May, 2023
11th May, 2023
27th Apr, 2023
Advertisement
Facebook
Whatsapp
