On March 30, 2023, a drone operator loaded a Walmart package into a Zipline P1 fixed-wing drone for delivery to a customer’s home in Pea Ridge, Arkansas.
Booney Tomlinson
Autonomous delivery drone startup Zipline said on Friday it had delivered its 1 millionth delivery to a customer and said its next phase of growth is targeting partnerships with restaurants.
The San Francisco-based startup designs, manufactures and operates autonomous delivery drones for more than 4,700 hospitals, including the Cleveland Clinic, as well as Walmart He Jian Anxi. The company has raised more than $500 million to date from investors including Sequoia Capital, a16z, and Google Ventures, and is one of the CNBC Disruptor 50 companies.
The company said its zero-emission drones have now flown more than 70 million commercial miles autonomously on four continents and delivered more than 10 million products.
The millionth delivery marked the milestone, transporting two bags of intravenous fluids from a Zipline distribution center in Ghana to a local medical facility.
As the company continues to expand, it will launch Panera Bread in Seattle, Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston and Jet’s Pizza in Detroit.
Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo Cliffton told CNBC that 70% of the company’s deliveries have been completed in the past two years, and the future goal is to complete 1 million deliveries per day.
“The three areas where incentives make the most sense right now are healthcare, fast trade and food, which are the three main markets we are focusing on,” said Rinaldo Clifton. “Our goal is to work with the really best brands or the best agencies in each market.”
He said the push for restaurant partnerships marks a “clear shift” as interest in instant food delivery continues to grow. Zipline already delivers food to customers from Walmart.
“We need to start using vehicles that are light, fast, autonomous and zero-emission,” said Rinaldo Clifton. “Delivery this way is 10 times faster and cheaper… We triple the service radius relative to the traditional delivery apps that most restaurants use, which means you actually (get) The number of customers increased 10 times.
Ron Bellamy, chief operating officer of Panera franchisees, told CNBC that Zipline deliveries at select Panera stores in Seattle are expected to begin next year. He said that even in an inflationary environment, the delivery volume of its business has continued to grow. He added that he expects the cost of Zipline to be comparable to the current cost of third-party delivery and hopes the cost will decrease over time.
“I’m encouraged by it, not only because of what I can do for the business, but as a consumer, I think at the end of the day, if it’s economical and it provides a better overall experience, then the consumer will speak ,” Bellamy said.
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