Zipline Raises $1.5 Billion to Expand Drone Delivery

The funding round values the drone delivery company at $21.5 billion as it grows its U.S. network with Walmart and Uber.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Robotics

Zipline Raises $1.5 Billion to Expand Drone Delivery

Live Poll

Do you think drone delivery is making life better or worse in your area?

Zipline raised $1.5 billion to expand its U.S. drone delivery operations, with the round valuing the company at $21.5 billion. Paradigm, WCM Investment Management, and Layer Global led the round, which also drew Uber, Fidelity, and Salesforce Ventures.

Why it matters

The Walmart and Uber agreements give Zipline access to established retail and restaurant customers that could generate the order volume needed for a national network. Scale of this kind is what drone delivery has needed to move beyond limited pilot markets across the United States.

Zipline reports a median delivery time of 19 minutes from checkout in October 2026 and 150 million commercial autonomous miles flown without a safety incident. The company has not independently verified these operational figures, and the sourcing does not detail the aircraft's payload limits in current service.

The players

Zipline

Zipline is a drone delivery company that began by delivering medical supplies in Africa before expanding into commercial consumer deliveries in the United States.

Walmart

Walmart is one of the largest retailers in the United States and is partnering with Zipline on a multiyear plan to add 300 delivery sites.

Uber

Uber is a ride-hailing and delivery platform that has invested in Zipline and plans to integrate Zipline drone delivery into Uber Eats.

The details

Zipline plans to integrate its service into Uber Eats, starting in existing markets before expanding to new cities, and will launch 300 additional delivery sites with Walmart under a multiyear agreement. The company says it has introduced technology that adjusts aircraft operations to reduce noise.

January 2026: Zipline announced more than $600 million in funding at a $7.6 billion valuation.
March to October 2026: Participating restaurants' share of delivery revenue from Zipline grew substantially.
End of 2029: Zipline and Uber target one million drone deliveries per day.

The Tech Race

Zipline's Dallas-Fort Worth network, which has logged more than one million deliveries in 2026, is the foundation for its push into a national rollout. The company's expansion with Walmart and Uber positions it against rivals pursuing autonomous delivery at scale.

Restaurant customers using Uber Eats may eventually see drone delivery in their area as the service expands from existing markets to new cities. Shoppers at participating Walmart locations could see the service extend to the 300 additional planned delivery sites.

The takeaway

Drone delivery is moving from pilot programs toward networks tied to large retail and restaurant platforms. Readers in markets where these partners operate may see the service arrive sooner than expected.