Zipline secures $200M funding to expand drone delivery network

U.S.-based autonomous drone delivery and logistics company Zipline has secured an additional $200 million in funding, building on a financing round it first revealed in January.

Founder and CEO Keller Cliffton shared the update in a video posted on X, noting that the company’s progress has outpaced earlier expectations.

The latest investment, which includes backing from crypto-focused firm Paradigm, brings Zipline’s Series H round total to $800 million. Earlier participants in the round included Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Valour Equity Partners, and Tiger Global, with the company previously valued at $7.6 billion.

Founded in 2014, Zipline has built a complete drone delivery ecosystem that combines aircraft, launch and landing infrastructure, and logistics software. The company initially launched operations in Africa, where it used autonomous drones to transport blood supplies across Rwanda. Since then, it has expanded both geographically and in the range of services it offers.

Today, Zipline delivers a wide range of goods — including food, retail items, agricultural products, and medical supplies — across five African countries, parts of the United States, and Japan.

The newly raised funds will be used to speed up the company’s expansion into at least four U.S. states this year. Zipline has already announced new service areas, including Houston, Phoenix, and Seattle.

Cliffton said the company has seen strong momentum in its U.S. home delivery service, which launched last year. According to him, delivery volumes in January and February exceeded earlier forecasts, and the company now expects growth to accelerate further in the coming months compared to 2025.

He also pointed out changes in customer behaviour, noting that users are placing orders more frequently and purchasing larger quantities. Over the past three weeks, the average order size has increased by more than 20%, with customers using the service multiple times per day. In response, Zipline plans to double the number of brands available on its platform within the next 30 days.

Zipline’s home delivery operations rely on its Platform 2 (P2) drones, which can carry payloads of up to eight pounds and operate within a 10-mile delivery radius. For longer distances, the company uses its larger Platform 1 (P1) drones, which can complete round trips of up to 120 miles and are designed for enterprise, government, and large-scale logistics use cases.

The P2 system was first introduced in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area through a partnership with Walmart and collaborations with more than a dozen restaurant brands.

While expanding its presence in the U.S., Zipline continues to grow internationally. Cliffton revealed that the company has signed a new nationwide agreement in Rwanda that will enable the rollout of its Platform 2 delivery system across major cities. Additionally, Zipline is establishing a third distribution centre in the country, aiming to provide coverage for every hospital and healthcare facility nationwide.