Drone delivery firm Zipline — already considered the world’s largest automated on-demand delivery service — raises $250 million for “expansion into new industries and geographies” including “instant” e-commerce — all which raises the medical drone delivery company’s valuation to $2.75 billion.
Zipline has utilized specially designed and manufactured aircraft to establish themselves in developing countries around the world delivering critical medical supplies to areas without robust road infrastructure.
Beginning in Rwanda, Zipline has established working drone delivery by hiring and training local employees and expanding services to cover millions of people.
Zipline is already transporting PPE as a response to COVID-19 in North Carolina through a partnership with Novant Health. Zipline is also forming agreements through a partnership with Toyota Group in Japan as well as expanding operations in Africa, in countries such as Rwanda, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Keller Rinaudo, founder and CEO at Zipline, explains:
“At Zipline, our mission is to create the first logistics company that serves all humans equally. Around the world, our partners are reimagining how patients access care with fast, reliable on-demand delivery. Together, we have completed hundreds of thousands of deliveries of blood, medicines and vaccines, and today Zipline makes a commercial delivery every four minutes. In the past year, we have seen major growth in every market, including the U.S., and we’re continuing to build on our proven track record and technology to bring instant logistics to more partners, communities and people.”*
The new investors — Fidelity, Intercorp, Emerging Capital Partners and Reinvent Capital — participated alongside existing investors, which included Baillie Gifford, Temasek, and Katalyst Ventures.
According to Tom Slater, head of US equities team at Baillie Gifford:
“Zipline’s delivery service has transformed national health systems and expanded access to care for millions of people. With Zipline, we can imagine a world in which anyone could have access to anything in a matter of minutes. The team has created the first automated logistics infrastructure that can support instant delivery at scale and is now rapidly expanding to serve more people and tap into the surging demand for the service around the world.”*
Zipline said it hopes to eventually service residential consumers as it seeks to compete with rival automated services including Amazon for ultrafast deliveries.
Future
Zipline’s ability to raise $250 million opens it up for expansion into new industries and places including instant e-commerce as it eventually aims to provide service to residential consumers by competing with rival automated services including Amazon for ultrafast deliveries.
Keller Rinaudo, founder and CEO at Zipline, points out that their mission is to create the first logistics company that serves all humans equally. Zipline already makes a commercial delivery every four minutes as they continue to build on their “proven track record and technology to bring instant logistics to more partners, communities and people.”
