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:

Indian startup Airbound secured over $8.5 million in seed funding from senior leaders of major tech companies, aiming to achieve drone delivery costs as low as 1 cent.
Their TRT drone features a unique blended-wing-body (BWB) tail-sitter design with only two propellers, emphasizing high energy efficiency and a superior payload-to-aircraft mass ratio to drastically cut operational costs.
Airbound is currently piloting medical deliveries in India to validate its technology, with plans for rapid expansion into broader logistics 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.