Zipline has raised $1.5 billion in investment funding and expanded its partnership with Walmart, two major milestones that have made the company even more valued and prominent in the autonomous drone delivery and logistics industry. Zipline and Walmart have signed a new multi-layer contract under which they will set up 300 new drone delivery points in the United States. Zipline and Walmart have collaborated on drone deliveries since 2021, but the new contract is a major upgrade, as the companies now have 21 delivery points.
Regarding investments, the current $1.5 billion investment funding round for Zipline was led by Paradigm and WCM Investment Management, while Layer Global was the co-lead. Other investors included Valour Equity Partners, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Uber, Tiger Global, J.P. Morgan, ARK Invest, and Salesforce Ventures. Zipline’s valuation is now $21.5 billion.
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The firm has created a complete drone delivery system, including planes, takeoff and landing infrastructure, and logistics systems. The firm stated that the funds would be used to expand its manufacturing facilities in the U.S., grow the labour force, and create a national drone delivery system. Zipline currently offers drone delivery services in five African nations, various U.S. cities and Japan, delivering diverse Cargo such as food, retail goods, farm supplies, and healthcare products.
Platform 2 drones are used for its residential delivery service and can deliver an eight-pound payload up to 10 miles. To cover longer distances, it uses its larger aircraft. Platform 1 drones can be used for enterprise, commercial, and government deliveries upto 120 miles one way.
