Zipline

Zipline (formerly known as Romotive) offers drone-based delivery services for applications such as medical supply, grocery, and food deliveries. It operates two drone delivery systems called “P1” and “P2 Zip.” P1 can carry payloads of up to 5 lbs covering a 60-mile radius and dispatches cargo using a parachute. The P2 version is capable of carrying a maximum payload of 8 lbs covering a 10-mile radius. Upon arrival at the destination, the P2 drone dispatches a droid on a tether to deliver the packages for retrieval (the commercial launch of P2 is expected in early 2024). Its drones use multiple airspace sensing technologies, fleet deconfliction technologies, localization, weather prediction, and onboard maps for navigation.

The company’s primary operations are in Africa in countries including Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Kenya. It also has operations in the US (including North Carolina, Arkansas, and Utah), the UK, and Japan. When considering its US operations, it received the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s approval to conduct commercial flights (Part 135 certification) in June 2022, and the approval to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights in September 2023. The company claimed to have completed more than one million commercial deliveries as of April 2024.

Key customers and partnerships

Zipline’s operations in Africa are mostly conducted in partnership with various government bodies, such as the Government of Rwanda, Government of Ghana, Nigerian state governments, the Ivory Coast’s Ministry of Health, and Kenya’s Kisumu county government. Other companies that have partnered with Zipline to offer drone-based delivery services in Africa include shipping company UPS and pan-African ecommerce company Jumia. Its US operations are conducted in partnership with companies such as Memorial Hermann Health System, OhioHealth, Pfizer, Magellan Rx Management, Cleveland Clinic, Intermountain Healthcare, Associated Couriers, Michigan Medicine, and WellSpan Health (for medical deliveries); Flynn Group-owned Panera Bread, Jet’s Pizza, Sweetgreen, Mendocino Farms, and Pagliacci Pizza (for restaurant deliveries); Walmart, GNC, and Chip Cookies (for convenience and grocery deliveries). The company also has partnerships with Toyota Tsusho Corporation for deliveries in Japan and with Apian Areo and the National Health Service (NHS) for deliveries in the UK (medical supplies).

Zipline also has a product partnership with Mubea Aviation to integrate Mubea's carbon fiber and advanced composites in Zipline's drones (March 2024).

Financials and funding

In April 2023, Zipline raised USD 330 million in a Series F funding round at a valuation of USD 4.2 billion. The company earmarked the funding for continued growth in operations including launching its new drone-based delivery service.