Tesla-Backed Startup Aims for 1-Cent Drone Deliveries

Bengaluru-based drone firm raises $8.65 million in seed funding to pursue ultra-cheap delivery.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 05:00 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

Airbound’s TRT drone features a blended-wing-body, tail-sitter configuration. [Courtesy: Airbound]

Key Takeaways:

Airbound, an Indian startup backed by over $8.5 million in seed funding from leaders at Tesla, SpaceX, and Anduril, aims to achieve drone delivery costs as low as 1 cent per delivery.
Their TRT drone features a unique blended-wing-body tail-sitter design with only two propellers and a high payload-to-aircraft mass ratio, significantly reducing energy costs compared to conventional multi-rotor drones.
The company is currently piloting medical deliveries with Narayana Health in India and plans to expand into broader logistics, with an ambitious goal of 1 million daily deliveries and entry into the U.S. market within three years.

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Senior leaders of Tesla, SpaceX, Anduril, and AI firm Physical Intelligence are pouring money into an Indian startup that believes it can unlock drone deliveries for as little as 1 cent.

Airbound, which is developing a blended-wing-body (BWB) tail-sitter drone called the TRT, on Tuesday announced it raised more than $8.5 million in seed funding. The startup’s aim is to lower drone delivery costs to the point that geographic distance becomes “irrelevant,” it said in a news release.