Bengaluru-based autonomous drone startup Airbound has raised $37 million in a Series A funding round led by Greenoaks, giving the company fresh capital to expand engineering, manufacturing and commercial operations as it works to build autonomous delivery networks across India.
DoorDash, entrepreneur Lachy Groom, Lightspeed and Humba Ventures also participated in the round, announced on Aug. 25. The financing takes Airbound’s total funding to nearly $50 million, according to the company.
Founded and led by CEO Naman Pushp, Airbound is developing autonomous aircraft for short-distance logistics and is pursuing a delivery-as-a-service model. Rather than selling drones to logistics companies, the startup plans to retain ownership of the aircraft, software and operating infrastructure and charge customers for deliveries.
The Series A follows an $8.65 million seed round announced in 2025 that was led by Groom, with participation from Humba Ventures and Lightspeed. That funding was intended to support manufacturing, commercial pilots and development of Airbound’s autonomous delivery technology.
Airbound said the latest funding will be used to expand its engineering and research teams, establish commercial-scale manufacturing, strengthen go-to-market operations and develop larger aircraft. The company also plans to use the capital to expand its autonomous delivery networks across India.
The startup’s aircraft use a blended-wing-body tailsitter configuration. The design allows the drone to take off and land vertically before transitioning to horizontal flight, combining the flexibility of vertical takeoff with the greater aerodynamic efficiency of fixed-wing flight.
Airbound’s current TRT aircraft has an all-up weight of about 2.5 kilograms and can carry approximately 1 kilogram of payload. The company lists a range of about 40 kilometers and a cruise speed of 60 kilometers per hour, with a wingspan of 1.4 meters and a reported noise level of 60 decibels.
The company says its aircraft do not require runways, charging pads or conventional ground infrastructure. That could allow the system to serve locations where road-based logistics are slow or difficult, although large-scale deployment will depend on regulatory approvals, operating economics and fleet reliability.
Healthcare is currently Airbound’s primary commercial focus. The company has worked with Narayana Health to transport diagnostic samples and medical supplies. According to Fortune India, Airbound has completed more than 1,000 autonomous flights for the healthcare provider, with some deliveries reducing transportation times from hours to minutes.
Airbound is also preparing for a broader deployment in Andhra Pradesh. The company has entered into a commercial deployment agreement with the state government for a network that is expected to initially connect three cities. The network could eventually support as many as 10,000 daily flights across healthcare, retail and e-commerce, according to Fortune India.
The planned deployment will provide an important test of whether autonomous drones can move beyond controlled pilot programs into sustained commercial operations. Operating thousands of flights a day would require reliable aircraft, automated fleet management, maintenance infrastructure and regulatory clearance.
Airbound is also looking beyond its current lightweight aircraft. Pushp has outlined a progression toward larger aircraft capable of carrying heavier cargo, with the company eventually seeking to address logistics applications currently served by scooters, small commercial vehicles and, further ahead, trucks.
The funding comes as investors show greater interest in India’s deep-tech and aerospace sectors, where startups are developing proprietary hardware alongside software and autonomous systems. Drone delivery has attracted attention because of its potential to shorten transportation times while reducing dependence on road infrastructure for certain routes.
The sector, however, faces significant barriers. Airbound will need to navigate aviation certification, airspace permissions, safety requirements and manufacturing challenges as it expands. Building an economically viable autonomous fleet at scale could also prove more difficult than demonstrating individual flights.
For Airbound, the Series A marks a shift toward commercialization. Its immediate challenge will be demonstrating that its aircraft can operate safely, reliably and at competitive costs across real-world delivery routes. The proposed Andhra Pradesh network could become a significant early test of whether India’s autonomous aerial logistics market is ready to move from pilot projects to regular commercial operations.
