Indian drone startup Airbound has secured $8.65 million in seed funding to expand its drone delivery operations. The funding round was led by Lachy Groom, co-founder of Physical Intelligence, and included participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Humba Ventures, and senior leaders from Tesla, SpaceX, and Anduril.
Founded in 2020 by 20-year-old Naman Pushp, Airbound is currently piloting drone deliveries with Bengaluru’s Narayana Health. The company aims to offer ultra-low-cost deliveries using its innovative ultra-light blended-wing-body aircraft.
“There is actually an incredible amount of gaps between where drones are today and where they can be,” said Pushp, who started working on Airbound at age 15. Airbound’s aircraft features a rocket-like, tail-sitter design that maximises aerodynamic efficiency and reduces energy consumption. This design allows the company to offer delivery costs up to 20 times lower than conventional methods. Currently, the TRT drone costs $2,000 to manufacture and ₹24 per delivery, with a goal to reduce costs below ₹5 by 2026.
Airbound plans to scale production from one drone a day to over 100 drones daily and aims to achieve one million deliveries per day by mid-2027. With backing from leading global investors, the startup intends to expand its services beyond medical deliveries to include quick commerce, food logistics, and international markets, including the United States, within three years.
Pushp describes the company’s mission as transforming logistics into “a game of efficiency and weight,” leveraging advanced drone technology to make deliveries faster, more cost-effective, and sustainable.
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