Zipline's valuation triples to US$21.5 billion after Rwanda partnership
The US drone-delivery company raised US$1.5 billion in its latest funding round, with Walmart, Uber and JPMorgan among the investors.
Zipline, an American drone-delivery company, has seen its value triple to US$21.5 billion in its latest funding round, which raised US$1.5 billion. The round was led by Paradigm, WCM Investment Management and Layer Global, and Uber, JPMorgan, Fidelity Management & Research, Tiger Global, ARK Invest and Salesforce Ventures also took part.
Zipline began operating in Rwanda in October 2016, when it made its first commercial delivery of blood and other essential medical products to hospitals that were hard to reach quickly by road. Rwanda was the first country to run Zipline's national autonomous delivery service, and the company later expanded into Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Côte d'Ivoire. Zipline is now moving from medical goods into food, retail goods and other consumer purchases.
In February 2026, Rwanda expanded the partnership, aiming to become the first country with nationwide autonomous logistics coverage and Africa's first urban drone-delivery network. Walmart and Zipline have agreed to add 300 drone-delivery sites across the United States under an expanded multiyear partnership. Uber has agreed to offer Zipline's service to Uber Eats customers and is targeting one million Zipline-supported deliveries daily by 2029, according to Zipline.
Why it mattersZipline's expansion gives Rwandan hospitals and communities a service that has grown from medical deliveries into wider consumer goods, backed now by larger investors.