Matternet develops and operates autonomous drones to transport biological samples and other urgent items between hospital facilities. Its drones are operated in partnership with logistics providers such as UPS to run hospital delivery programs. The company is inaugurating a test program at UC San Diego’s Jacobs Medical Center to fly blood samples and other items to nearby facilities under remote monitoring and line-of-sight operations to locations less than a mile away. This is Matternet’s third hospital program; an earlier UPS partnership completed about 1,900 flights at WakeMed in North Carolina, and flights with SwissPost in Zurich have resumed after being grounded following crashes. Matternet recently pulled in a strategic round from healthcare-focused McKesson Ventures. The company’s near-term activity in the article centers on expanding hospital drone delivery deployments through partner-operated flight tests. Matternet develops and operates autonomous delivery drone systems focused on medical logistics, including transporting blood and pathology samples to laboratories. The company began testing its first drone delivery system in Zurich in 2015 and has since expanded operations in Switzerland. Matternet has conducted more than 1,700 flights over densely populated areas and completed more than 850 patient-sample deliveries. The FAA selected Matternet to test unmanned aerial networks in the U.S., including drone logistics operations for hospitals under its UAS pilot program. With the new funding, Matternet plans to expand throughout the U.S. and internationally in urban environments. Matternet designs autonomous delivery drones (the Matternet M2) and integrated systems to enable short-distance, small-package logistics. The M2 can carry a 4.4-pound payload up to 12 miles on a single battery charge in real-world conditions and is built to reload payloads and swap batteries without human intervention. Mercedes‑Benz Vans and Matternet developed a Vision Van concept whose rooftop serves as a launch and landing pad and whose onboard and cloud systems, plus robotic shelving, automatically load items into drones. Matternet also created a hard-shelled case for cargo that can transmit data about contents and destination, enabling potential proof-of-delivery and instant alerts. CEO Andreas Raptopoulos said the vans with integrated drone technology could be put to immediate use where regulations allow. The company has worked with UNICEF to deliver blood samples for HIV testing in Malawi, demonstrating humanitarian and healthcare applications. Financially, SEC filings show Matternet has raised $9.5M of a targeted $11.5M venture funding round, and Mercedes‑Benz has invested an undisclosed amount. Matternet builds a vertically integrated drone-based delivery solution centered on its ONE quadcopter. The ONE can transport up to 1 kilogram over 20 kilometers on a single charge and is intended for items like medicine, documents, and parts. Matternet supplies drones, landing pads, batteries, charging stations and cloud software so partners can focus on operations. The company has flown more drone hours than anyone else and previously tested deliveries in Haiti. Matternet plans three pilots with Swiss Post in Switzerland this summer to explore legal, technical and business capabilities. It has raised $2.2 million in seed capital from investors including Flextronics, Scott Banister, and Nas.

Total raised

$18M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Jun 2018