Airbound, a drone technology startup, has raised $1.7 million in its seed funding round led by Lightspeed with additional participation from gradCapital and other angel investors.
With this funding, Airbound will deploy its R&D efforts to initially focus on medical deliveries, such as transporting blood samples from health centers to testing labs. Once the system is proven at scale, it plans to expand into other applications including food and groceries delivery, where reducing logistics costs can significantly enhance profitability.
“We are proud to have developed not only an industry-leading delivery drone, but also a highly efficient, scalable manufacturing process. We scrutinized every vehicle system to reduce weight, enhance safety and reliability, and maximize 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. Our goal isn’t just to build a great drone—we want to create a world where delivery is essentially free,” said Naman Pushp, Founder and CEO of Airbound.
Hemant Mohapatra, partner, Lightspeed said, “Drones are the future of deliveries and we are highly optimistic about the potential of this game-changing technology in revolutionizing logistics. Our investment in Airbound aligns with our mission of backing founders who can identify market gaps and pioneer path-breaking products to address those. We are incredibly excited to partner with Naman, confident that their innovation will redefine delivery logistics.”
Founded in 2020 by Naman Pushp, Airbound is a drone delivery company focused on building drones that can reduce the cost of the last mile by over two orders of magnitude.
With early backing from gradCapital, he spent four years developing TRT, innovating on carbon composite manufacturing, aerostructures, and advanced control systems. Today, Airbound’s drone is over three times lighter than conventional alternatives, with four times the aerodynamic efficiency, significantly reducing upfront and operating costs.
Airbound’s initial focus is on medical deliveries, particularly routine supply deliveries such as transporting blood samples from health centers to testing labs. Once the system is proven at scale, Airbound plans to expand into other applications including food and grocery delivery, where reducing logistics costs can significantly enhance profitability. In total, the company’s drones have already spanned thousands of kilometers.
