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  • Tech - News - Startups
  • Updated: July 02, 2021

African Drone Delivery Startup Zipline Raises $250 Million At $2.75 Billion Valuation To Expand Logistics Services

African Drone Delivery Startup Zipline Raises $250 Million A

Zipline, an African drone delivery startup, announced it has raised $250 million in new funding to expand its logistics networks across Africa and the United States.

The latest round valued the California-based startup at $2.75 billion and will be used to fund "expansion into new industries and geographies" including "instant" e-commerce, the company said in a statement.

The funding round was led by Baillie Gifford and with support from returning investors Temasek and Katalyst Ventures. New investors like Fidelity, Intercorp, Emerging Capital Partners, and Reinvest Capital also took part in the raise.

This latest round comes after the startup raised an undisclosed Series E in January and a $120M series D in 2019. This brings its total funding to $483M over 8 rounds.

It is also worthy of note that this latest Zipline funding is the largest funding round we’ve yet seen in the drone industry.

Zipline, which calls itself "the world's largest automated on-demand delivery service," said it hopes to eventually service residential consumers as it seeks to compete with rival automated services including Amazon for ultrafast deliveries.

zipline drone delivery

The drone-operating company got its start delivering medical supplies across Africa and saw pandemic-fueled growth of delivery of vaccines and medical supplies in Africa and the United States.

Utilizing specially designed and manufactured aircraft, Zipline has established itself in developing countries around the world, delivering critical medical supplies to areas without robust road infrastructure. 

Zipline made a name for itself first in Rwanda and then in Ghana, where it delivered blood, vaccines, life-saving medications, and other essential supplies using autonomous electric drones. The company, which launched in 2014, is vertically integrated – meaning it designs and manufactures its unmanned drones, logistics software, and the accompanying launch and landing system.

zipline drone

Zipline is already operating in the U.S., transporting PPE for covid response in North Carolina, through a partnership with Novant Health; forming agreements in Japan, through a partnership with Toyota Group; and expanding operations in Africa, in Rwanda, Ghana, and Nigeria.

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