Drone startup Airbound garners $1.7 million in seed funding round; to focus on deliveries
Bengaluru: Drone technology startup Airbound has garnered Rs 1.7 million in seed round funding to implement its research and development plans focussing on medical deliveries, such as transporting blood samples from health centers to testing labs, media reports said.
The funding round was led by Lightspeed and drew participation from gradCapital and other top angel investors, reported Business Standard.
After scaling and validating the system, the company plans to expand into other areas like food and grocery delivery, aiming to cut logistics costs and boost profitability.
Airbound has created an industry-leading delivery drone paired with a scalable manufacturing process, according to Naman Pushp, Founder and CEO of Airbound. He explained that the team meticulously evaluated every vehicle system to reduce weight, improve safety and reliability, and optimize efficiency.
“We developed new methods to manufacture carbon fiber, which allow us to reduce the weight of our airframe from 6 pounds to 400 grams,” Pushp was quoted as saying by Business Standard.
He emphasized that their ultimate aim isn’t just to produce an excellent drone but to "create a world where delivery is essentially free."
The drone delivery industry has faced several obstructions due to regulatory hurdles and high-per mile costs, preventing its adoption as a go-to solution as last-mile delivery logistics.
Airbound claims its proprietary blended wing body tailsitter design, known as TRT, addresses these challenges by creating the lightest, safest, and most cost-effective delivery drone, cutting delivery costs to just a few cents per dollar.
Airbound announced today that its drone is over three times lighter than conventional models and boasts four times the aerodynamic efficiency. This advancement considerably lowers both upfront and operating costs.
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