Zipline said it beat its Q3 daily delivery volume target by about 30% and hit its Q4 target six weeks early. | Source: Zipline
Zipline International Inc. this week announced it has surpassed 2 million commercial deliveries and raised more than $600 million. The company is also expanding operations to Houston and Phoenix in early 2026, followed by more metropolitan areas later in the year.
The latest round of funding brings Zipline’s valuation to $7.6 billion. The milestone comes as the company continues to grow across the U.S., delivering food, retail, and healthcare products directly to customers’ homes in minutes.
“Autonomous logistics has been maturing for more than a decade, and the last year has made it unmistakably clear that when deliveries are faster, cleaner, safer, and cheaper, demand isn’t just high; it grows exponentially,” stated Keller Cliffton, co-founder and CEO of Zipline.
“In 2026, autonomous logistics will become an everyday staple for people across several states in the U.S.,” he added. “That transformation starts with Houston and my hometown of Phoenix, which we’ll begin serving early this year, and then expand to even more places across the country throughout the year.”
In Houston and Phoenix, eligible customers will soon be able to order tens of thousands of items through the Zipline app, with deliveries arriving in as little as 10 minutes via the company’s drones.
Zipline claimed that its U.S. deliveries have grown by approximately 15% week over week for the past seven months, making it one of the fastest-growing AI and robotics companies in the world.
“As new markets come online, autonomous on-demand delivery is quickly moving from early adoption to everyday infrastructure,” it said. “This latest expansion is yet another sign that autonomous on-demand drone delivery will soon be the norm in America.”
Zipline plans to use latest funding to expand to 4 new states
Zipline’s latest funding round included participation from several existing and new investors, including Fidelity Management & Research Co., Baillie Gifford, Valor Equity Partners, and Tiger Global.
The company said it plans to use the capital to accelerate its expansion into at least four new states this year. Houston and Phoenix are the first two markets on that journey.
“In the next five to 10 years, deliveries made by autonomous aircraft will become standard. That revolution is going to be led by Zipline,” said Antonio Gracias, founder, chief investment officer, and CEO of Valor Equity Partners. “There’s no better team, company, and product positioned to lead the charge than Zipline.”
To date, Zipline said its zero-emission aircraft have flown more than 125 million autonomous commercial miles, delivering more than 20 million items without a serious injury. The company said it designed its system for speed and reliability at scale.
Zipline added that its median flight time is three minutes. Customers routinely cite saving time as a reason why drone deliveries quickly becomes part of their daily lives.
Since August, Zipline said it has launched its delivery service to new areas weekly, unlocking thousands of customers every time. Each additional site ramps up faster than the last, according to the company
Zipline’s first location in Dallas took 10 weeks to reach 100 deliveries per day, and new sites reached that same volume in just two days.
Drone delivery takes off across the U.S.
Zipline isn’t the only company working to make drone deliveries a regular part of life. Earlier this year, Wing Aviation LLC and Walmart Inc. announced they will expand drone deliveries to 150 more Walmart stores over the next year.
Walmart and Wing plan to establish a network of over 270 drone delivery locations by 2027, stretching from Los Angeles to Miami. The new service will launch in major hubs including Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Miami, with others to be announced later.
Zipline is also working with Walmart. Last year, the company launched its first-ever P2 drone site at Walmart stores in Mesquite and Waxahachie, Texas, offering a delivery experience that’s quieter than the average delivery truck, it claimed.
Tell Us What You Think!