Aussie startup providing drone medical deliveries nets 7-figure funding

Swoop Aero, a provider of on-demand autonomous air transport services for medical supplies, has secured seven-figure funding in a round co-led by Australian venture capital firms Tempus Partners and Right Click Capital.

Photo credit: Pixabay

The Melbourne-based startup said it will use the latest funds to prepare for production at scale and enable market entry into Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia throughout 2019 and beyond.

Founded by former air force pilot Eric Peck and mechatronics engineer Josh Tepper in 2017, Swoop Aero provides access to on-demand health care for people located in some of the most challenging environments in the world.

“Our trial program in the Tafea and Shefa provinces of Vanuatu has been hugely successful, with drones providing the perfect solution to Vanuatu’s geographical landscape and limited infrastructure,” Peck said.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, VillageReach, and vaccine alliance Gavi, Swoop Aero also commenced drone transport flights in the Democratic Republic of Congo in response to a public health emergency brought about by an Ebola outbreak.

According to a statement, one drone flight can safely transport vaccines at the right temperature in around 20 minutes before picking up samples for the return flight. This expedites what is typically a six-hour roundtrip journey.

Swoop Aero’s team includes former air force pilots, current commercial pilots, and engineers.

With the latest funding round, Alister Coleman, a partner at Tempus Partners, and Right Click Capital partner Garry Visontay have joined the startup’s board as directors.