Zipline raises $1.5 billion as Walmart signs up for 300 more drone sites

Zipline, the drone delivery company that started by delivering blood in Rwanda, raised $1.5 billion at a $21.5 billion valuation. TechCrunch reported the round on November 5. Paradigm, WCM Investment Management and Layer Global led it, with Valor Equity Partners, Fidelity, Uber, Tiger Global, J.P. Morgan, ARK Invest and Salesforce Ventures also taking part.

Alongside the round, Walmart signed a new multi-year agreement to add 300 Zipline delivery sites in the United States. The two companies have worked together since 2021 and run 21 active sites today, so the deal is a large jump in physical footprint rather than a small pilot. Zipline says it will use the money to expand US manufacturing and hire more workers.

The company runs two aircraft types. Its Platform 2 drone carries up to eight pounds within a 10 mile radius for home delivery. Platform 1 handles long range trips that can cover 120 miles round trip. Zipline also delivers food, retail, agricultural and health products in five African countries, several US cities and Japan.

The most striking number comes from the company itself. Zipline says its share of delivery revenue grew from 10.8 percent to 34.9 percent between March and October 2026. That figure is company reported. The harder test is turning the planned sites into a working expanded network. Still, a retailer committing to 300 new sites suggests drone delivery is moving past demos into routine logistics.