Airbound raises $8.65M seed funding, partners with Narayana Health
The company said it plans to use the new funding to scale manufacturing, expand operations beyond medical delivery, refine its technology, and prepare for wider market deployment in 2026.
Bengaluru-based , an autonomous delivery logistics firm developing blended-wing-body aircraft, has secured $8.65 million in seed funding to advance its drone-based delivery operations.
The round was led by Lachy Groom, Co-founder of Physical Intelligence, a Robot AI startup, with participation from Humba Ventures, , and senior leaders from Tesla, Anduril, and Ather Energy.
The company also announced a pilot partnership with Narayana Health.
Following this round, the company has raised over $10 million in total funding. The company said it plans to use the latest funding to scale manufacturing, expand operations beyond medical delivery, refine its technology, and prepare for wider market deployment in 2026.
Its mission is to reduce delivery costs to the point where geographic distance becomes a negligible factor, particularly in underserved regions where traditional logistics infrastructure is limited.
Dr Devi Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health, stated, the partnership with Airbound enables the hospital to pilot a promising technology aimed at enhancing the speed and reliability of medical deliveries while supporting better patient care and operational efficiency.
"This initiative reflects our commitment to leveraging technology to better serve patients, particularly in areas where timely access to critical diagnostics and supplies can make a life-saving difference,” he added.
Founded in 2023, Airbound develops cost-efficient, reliable logistics solutions using proprietary carbon-fiber aircraft with a blended-wing-body tailsitter design, combining vertical takeoff and landing with fixed-wing aerodynamic efficiency. Its drones achieve a 1.5:1 payload-to-mass ratio, significantly improving delivery efficiency.
The company has launched a three-month pilot with Narayana Health, performing 10 daily medical deliveries including blood samples, test kits, and essential supplies, to validate reliability, speed, and cost-effectiveness.
"We are grateful to our incoming and current investors for supporting our vision to make the cost of delivery negligible. 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," he noted.
By leveraging lightweight carbon-fiber aircraft, Airbound achieves delivery costs up to 20 times lower than conventional methods, aiming to make autonomous logistics more accessible across urban and remote areas.
Edited by Megha Reddy