Airbound secures $8.65M in seed funding and medical delivery contract with Narayana Health. A bengaluru-based startup aims to make drone delivery costs negligible. Airbound, an autonomous delivery logistics company based in Bengaluru, India, has announced $8.65 million in seed funding and a pilot partnership with Narayana Health, one of India's largest hospital networks. The round was led by Lachy Groom, co-founder of Physical Intelligence, with participation from Humba Ventures and continued investment from Lightspeed. Senior leaders from Tesla, SpaceX, and Anduril also contributed, signaling confidence in Airbound's potential to scale hardware and autonomy systems. Blended-Wing-Body design for efficiency. Airbound's drones feature a blended-wing-body (BWB) with a vertical lift tail-sitter configuration - an unusual design that allows for vertical takeoff and landing while maintaining the aerodynamic advantages of fixed-wing flight. The company's proprietary carbon fiber manufacturing process supports rapid production and contributes to a high payload-to-aircraft mass ratio of 1kg-to-1.5kg. "The healthcare sector represents the perfect testing ground for our technology because it demands both reliability and efficiency," said Naman Pushp, Founder and CEO of Airbound. "Our partnership with Narayana Health validates that our approach can handle the most critical delivery requirements while demonstrating the cost advantages that will make our service accessible globally." Pilot program with Narayana Health. The partnership with Narayana Health will involve a three-month pilot program demonstrating Airbound's capability for medical logistics. Ten drone deliveries per day will transport blood samples, medical tests, and other supplies between hospital locations. The pilot will serve as a proof of concept for one of the most demanding use cases for drone delivery. "At Narayana Health, we are constantly exploring innovative solutions to enhance patient care and operational efficiency," said Dr. Devi Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health. "Our partnership with Airbound allows us to pilot a promising technology that could significantly improve the speed and reliability of medical deliveries." Scaling toward global applications. Airbound's mission is to make delivery costs so low that distance becomes irrelevant in accessing goods and services. The company's aircraft design and manufacturing efficiency aim to reduce delivery expenses by up to twenty times compared to conventional logistics methods. "Airbound's approach to drone delivery addresses fundamental physics and economics problems that have limited the scalability of existing solutions," said Lachy Groom of Physical Intelligence. "Their design and manufacturing capabilities position them to achieve the cost efficiency needed to make drone delivery truly viable." The pilot program offers Airbound valuable operational data and regulatory validation as it prepares to expand beyond medical delivery. Following its latest funding round, Airbound has raised over $10 million to date and plans to scale manufacturing capacity and hiring in preparation for broader market adoption in 2026. For more information, visit www.airbound.co

Bengaluru-based Airbound, an autonomous delivery logistics firm, secured $8.65 million in seed funding led by Lachy Groom, with participation from Humba Ventures and Lightspeed. The company also announced a pilot partnership with Narayana Health to showcase its drone capabilities in medical logistics. Airbound's unique blended-wing-body aircraft aims to reduce delivery costs significantly. The funding will help scale manufacturing and expand operations beyond medical delivery.

Airbound, a drone delivery startup, has secured $1.7 million in seed funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Gradcapital and angel investors. The funds will be used for R&D and to venture into medical deliveries, such as transporting blood samples. Airbound plans to launch its product in early 2025. The startup aims to reduce delivery costs significantly and sees potential in quick commerce, especially in tier 2 and 3 cities. Drone regulations in India have become more liberalized.