Drone startups closed some of the largest private rounds in defense and logistics in 2026. Shield AI, Quantum Systems, and Zipline each raised $600 million or more in a single round this year.
This list covers six companies whose main product is an uncrewed aircraft and that closed a round of $100 million or more between January and August 2026. They are grouped by airframe type and buyer base. Anduril and Helsing are left out because drones are one part of a much wider defense product line.
| Startup | Airframe | Latest round | Output or deployment figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shield AI | VTOL drones | $1.5B Series G at $12.7B, Mar 2026 | Plus $500M preferred equity from Blackstone funds |
| Quantum Systems | Fixed-wing VTOL, multi-domain | $1.2B Series D at about $8B, Jul 2026 | Systems for land, air, and sea |
| Zipline | Delivery drones | $600M+ at $7.6B, Jan 2026 | More than 2 million commercial deliveries |
| Skydio | Quadcopters | $110M at $4.4B, Apr 2026 | Army order for 2,500+ X10D drones |
| STARK | VTOL loitering munition | €500M Series C at about €3.5B, Jun 2026 | About €269M Bundeswehr agreement |
| Neros | FPV strike drones | $250M Series C at $2.5B, Aug 2026 | About 1,200 aircraft per week |
Production volume now decides drone funding
Investors in 2026 favored companies that can build aircraft in large numbers. STARK said more than 80% of its €500 million round would go to manufacturing and R&D. Quantum Systems said its $1.2 billion Series D would expand production capacity and strengthen its supply chain.
Output figures now show up in funding coverage. Neros was building about 1,200 aircraft a week when it raised its Series C, according to Dronehub’s industry tracker. Skydio says it runs the largest drone factory in the US, in Hayward, California.
Moving from prototypes to weekly production runs is an operations problem as well as an engineering one. Maia Lafortezza advises growth-stage companies on the processes that have to scale with output.
Defense primes set the top of the market. Anduril, which builds drones, counter-drone interceptors, and its Lattice command software, raised $5 billion in May 2026. The deal appears on AI Funding Tracker’s list of the largest AI funding rounds of Q2 2026.
Drone startups making low-cost strike aircraft
STARK
STARK is a Berlin maker of loitering munitions, founded in 2024. Its Virtus drone takes off vertically, flies for up to 90 minutes, and has a range of more than 130 kilometers.
Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund co-led STARK’s €500 million Series C on June 23, 2026, with the NATO Innovation Fund taking part. Bloomberg put the valuation at about €3.5 billion, up from roughly $500 million in August 2025.
In February 2026, the Bundeswehr signed an initial agreement worth about €269 million for Virtus systems. Total funding since founding is about €640 million.
Neros
Neros builds low-cost first-person-view attack drones, including the Archer, in Southern California. It raised a $250 million Series C on August 11, 2026, at a $2.5 billion valuation.
Backers include Sequoia Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Spark Capital, and Thiel Capital. Total funding reached $371 million, according to Tracxn. Dronehub reported that the US Army awarded Neros a contract with a $500 million ceiling in June 2026.
Autonomy software paired with VTOL airframes
Shield AI
Shield AI builds the V-BAT vertical takeoff drone, the X-BAT aircraft, and Hivemind, software that flies aircraft without a pilot. The San Diego company announced a $1.5 billion Series G on March 26, 2026, at a $12.7 billion post-money valuation.
Advent International led the round, and funds managed by Blackstone added $500 million of preferred equity. Shield AI has the highest valuation on this list.
Autonomous flight software sits within the wider autonomous systems category, which EmergeFolio tracks as an emerging opportunity area.
Quantum Systems
Quantum Systems, a German company, builds uncrewed systems for land, air, and sea, including the Twister and Reliant drones. It raised a $1.2 billion Series D on July 2, 2026, at about $8 billion post-money, CNBC reported.
Blackstone, Noteus, Airbus, and Advent co-led the round. Bond, Fidelity, Balderton, and HV Capital also took part. The money will go to production capacity, supply chains, delivery to allied markets, and AI software.
Quadcopter and delivery fleets for civil buyers
Zipline
Zipline runs autonomous drone delivery for health systems, retailers, and restaurants. Its Platform 2 drone lowers packages on a tether for home drop-off. The company has completed more than 2 million commercial deliveries.
Valor Equity Partners led Zipline’s round of more than $600 million in January 2026, at a $7.6 billion valuation. That was up from $5 billion in 2024. Zipline is using the money to expand to Houston, Phoenix, and other US cities.
Skydio
Skydio builds autonomous quadcopters for defense, public safety, and infrastructure inspection. The US Army ordered more than 2,500 of its X10D drones in March 2026, according to Dronehub.
Skydio raised $110 million in April 2026 at a $4.4 billion valuation, the smallest round on this list.
Screening by round size, date, and product focus
Each company had to close a single round of $100 million or more between January 1 and August 31, 2026. Drones had to be the main product. Valuations are the latest figures disclosed by the company or reported by Bloomberg, CNBC, or Reuters.
Consumer camera drones fall outside this list. Readers comparing consumer hardware can find device reviews and specs at GadgetStripe.
Round data comes from company releases and from CNBC, Bloomberg, Business Wire, and DroneXL. Founders building hardware at this scale need financial models that hold up in due diligence. Growth Navigate Funding is one advisory firm that prepares startups for that process.
Euro amounts stay in euros where the company reported them that way. STARK’s round is converted at about $570 million for the round-size chart.
Drone rounds sit inside a wider robotics funding wave. Robotics startups raised $13.8 billion globally in 2025, according to AI Funding Tracker’s review of top humanoid robotics startups.
Contract awards that could reshape these drone startups
Government orders will set the next ranking. Neros and STARK both hold early military contracts that could grow if their aircraft perform in service. Skydio’s Army order will test how fast it can ship at volume.
Shield AI announced its Series G as a raise in progress, so the final size could change. Outside this list, The Next Web reported in June 2026 that Helsing was raising about $1.5 billion at an $18 billion valuation.
This list will be updated as new rounds close and as Q4 2026 contract awards are announced.
FAQ
Which drone startup has the highest valuation in 2026?
Shield AI has the highest valuation on this list at $12.7 billion after its March 2026 Series G. Quantum Systems follows at about $8 billion and Zipline at $7.6 billion.
How much did drone startups raise in 2026?
The six companies on this list raised at least $4.2 billion in their latest rounds, led by Shield AI’s $1.5 billion and Quantum Systems’ $1.2 billion. STARK’s €500 million counts as about $570 million.
Which drone startups build military drones?
Shield AI, Quantum Systems, STARK, and Neros mainly build military drones. Skydio sells to both defense and civil buyers. Zipline focuses on commercial delivery.
What is the largest drone delivery startup?
Zipline is the largest drone delivery startup on this list by valuation and volume. It has completed more than 2 million commercial deliveries and was valued at $7.6 billion in January 2026.
Why are investors funding drone startups?
Investors are backing companies that can build aircraft at scale for military and commercial buyers. Recent rounds tie new money to factory expansion, supply chains, and government contracts in the US and Europe.
