Top 6 Autonomous aviation startups

Jul 08, 2025 | By Siddhant Patel

These startups develop AI autopilots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones that can perform various aviation tasks, including aerial surveillance, cargo delivery, inspection and mapping.
1
Volocopter
Country: Germany | Funding: $780.6M
Volocopter is an urban air mobility company that develops eco-friendly air taxis to transport people and autonomous cargo drones.
2
Wisk
Country: USA | Funding: $450M
Wisk is an urban air-mobility company on a mission to leave traffic on the ground and make sustainable flight a reality for everyday life.
3
Reliable Robotics
Country: USA | Funding: $133.5M
Reliable Robotics provides advanced automation systems for aircraft.
4
Merlin Labs
Country: USA | Funding: $133.5M
Merlin Labs develops autonomous flight system designed to be installed in existing aircraft.
5
Pyka
Country: USA | Funding: $88.1M
Pyka makes technologies that make aviation safer, more affordable, and more accessible than has ever been possible in human history. The company produces autonomous cargo planes.
6
XWING
Country: USA | Funding: $54M
XWING develops the suite of technologies for pilotless commercial flight of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing aircraft.
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  See also:
Top 42 Machine Learning startups
Market Landscape for AI Startups
Top 10 Countries by number of AI Startups
Editor: Siddhant Patel
Siddhant Patel is a senior editor for AI-Startups. He is based out of India and has previously worked at publications including Huffington Post and The Next Web. Siddhant has a special interest in artificial intelligence and has spent a decade covering the rapidly-evolving business and technology of the industry. Siddhant graduated from the Indian Institute of Science (Bengaluru). When he’s not writing, Siddhant is also a developer and has a deep historical knowledge of the computer industry for the past 50 years. You can contact Siddhant at sidpatel(at)ai-startups(dot)pro