Insider Brief
- Zipline said it has surpassed two million commercial deliveries, raised more than $600 million at a $7.6 billion valuation, and will expand autonomous drone delivery services to Houston and Phoenix in early 2026, with additional U.S. metros planned later in the year.
- The company’s U.S. delivery volumes have grown about 15% week over week for seven months, with median flight times of roughly three minutes and new sites ramping significantly faster than earlier launches as on-demand drone delivery moves toward everyday infrastructure.
- Zipline said the new funding will support expansion into at least four new states in 2026, building on more than 125 million autonomous miles flown and positioning drone delivery as a faster, cleaner, and safer alternative to traditional last-mile logistics.
PRESS RELEASE– Zipline, an American robotics company that designs, manufactures and operates the world’s largest autonomous delivery system, today announced it has surpassed two million commercial deliveries, raised more than $600 million, and will expand operations to Houston and Phoenix in early 2026, followed by more metros later in the year. With this round, Zipline is now valued at $7.6 billion.
The milestone comes as Zipline continues to scale rapidly across the United States, delivering food, retail, and healthcare products directly to customers’ homes in minutes. 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.
Zipline’s U.S. deliveries have grown by approximately 15% week over week for the last seven months, making the company 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. This latest expansion is yet another sign that autonomous on-demand drone delivery will soon be the norm in America.
“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,” said Keller Cliffton, CEO and co-founder of Zipline. “In 2026 autonomous logistics will become an everyday staple for people across several states in the U.S. That transformation starts with Houston and my home town of Phoenix, which we’ll begin serving early this year, and then expand to even more places across the country throughout the year.”
Zipline’s system is designed for speed and reliability at scale. The company’s median flight time is 3 minutes. Customers routinely cite saving time—and the experience itself—as reasons Zipline quickly becomes part of daily life.
Demand for Instant Zipline Delivery is Soaring
Since August, Zipline has launched its delivery service to new areas weekly, unlocking thousands of customers every time. Each additional site ramps up faster than the last. Zipline’s first location in Dallas took 10 weeks to reach 100 deliveries per day, and new sites reached that same volume in just 2 days. Zipline beat its Q3 daily delivery volume target by ~30%, hit its Q4 target six weeks early, and continues to accelerate. Customers love Zipline because it gives them time and money back. They can stop wasting time running errands and start saving time for things that truly matter.
One customer in Anna, TX described the experience as “seamless” and an “enhancement to daily life.” “What initially felt like a novelty, quickly became something much deeper: a seamless, clean, and surprisingly emotional enhancement to daily life,” she said. “I have three children (ages 5, 11, and 14), and watching their over-excitement and curiosity around Zipline deliveries has been incredible. To them, it feels like the future arriving in our backyard — safely, quietly, and reliably. From my five-year-old being able to order his favorite Gusher snack, to my older kids watching the delivery process with fascination, Zipline has created joy and engagement in a way traditional delivery never has.”
“Zipline’s expansion to Phoenix reflects our City’s strength as a national hub for advanced technology, autonomous systems, and jobs of the future,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said. “This investment will bring affordable, faster, and cleaner delivery options to our community and reinforces Phoenix’s position at the forefront of the future of logistics and mobility. Phoenix continues to be a national leader in adopting innovative technologies that improve daily life for our residents while supporting sustainable economic growth.”
A New Paradigm for a Faster, Cleaner, Safer Future
The funding includes participation from several existing and new investors, including Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Valor Equity Partners and Tiger Global. Zipline will use the funds to accelerate its expansion into at least four new states this year. Houston and Phoenix are the first two markets on that journey.
This week Zipline also surpassed 2 million commercial deliveries, more deliveries than all other companies in the sector combined. To date, Zipline’s zero-emission aircraft have flown more than 125 million autonomous commercial miles, delivering more than 20 million items without a serious injury. And it’s done that while saving more than 10,000 lives per year in the process. For context, in the U.S, driving 120 million miles meant nearly 600 crashes, about 100 injuries, and at least one fatality, according to NHTSA data.
The shift to a better, safer, more convenient future is only just beginning.
Image credit: Zipline
