Bengaluru: Airbound, an autonomous logistics company pioneering blended-wing-body aircraft, has raised $8.65 million in seed funding and announced a pilot program with Narayana Health to demonstrate its drone-based medical delivery capabilities.
The funding round was led by Lachy Groom, co-founder of Physical Intelligence, with participation from Humba Ventures and continued support from Lightspeed.
The round also attracted investments from senior leaders at Tesla, SpaceX, and Anduril, reflecting strong conviction from experts in hardware scaling and autonomy technologies.
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Airbound: Innovative Aircraft and Scalable Manufacturing Process
Airbound’s proprietary carbon fiber manufacturing system has enabled rapid production, allowing the company to manufacture aircraft daily. Its distinctive blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft integrates a vertical lift tail-sitter design, achieving a payload-to-aircraft mass ratio of 1kg-to-1.5kg.
This hybrid configuration combines the aerodynamic efficiency of fixed-wing flight with the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities of rotor-based aircraft—without the performance penalties seen in tilt-rotor or quadplane models.
“We are grateful to our investors for supporting our vision to make delivery costs negligible,” said Naman Pushp, Founder and CEO of Airbound.
“Healthcare logistics presents the ideal testing ground for our technology because it demands reliability and efficiency. Our partnership with Narayana Health validates that our approach meets critical delivery needs while maintaining affordability.”
Narayana Health Collaboration to Demonstrate Medical Drone Logistics
As part of the partnership, Airbound will conduct a three-month pilot program with Narayana Health, completing up to ten daily deliveries of medical samples, diagnostic tests, and other critical supplies.
The program will serve as a proof of concept in one of the most demanding operational environments for drone delivery.
“At Narayana Health, innovation is central to improving patient care,” said Dr Devi Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health. “Our collaboration with Airbound allows us to test a transformative logistics solution that could enhance the speed and reliability of medical deliveries—especially in regions where timely access to critical diagnostics can save lives.”
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Airbound’s Vision and Future Expansion
With this latest investment, Airbound has now raised more than $10 million in total funding. The company plans to leverage the capital to expand its manufacturing capacity, reduce operational costs, and prepare for wider commercial deployment in 2026.
According to Lachy Groom, co-founder of Physical Intelligence, “Airbound’s approach to drone logistics addresses fundamental physics and economic constraints that have limited scalability in the past. Their BWB design and manufacturing efficiency position them to deliver cost-effective, scalable drone delivery solutions.”
By combining advanced engineering, scalable production, and real-world validation through its healthcare pilot, Airbound aims to make geographic distance irrelevant for the delivery of essential goods and services, with a focus on underserved regions worldwide.
