ImpactAlpha, July 21 — Wingcopter’s electric drones can take off and land vertically while flying long distances even in extreme weather. The company, which provides delivery services for healthcare, logistics, groceries and food partners in Europe and Africa, aims to deploy 12,000 drones in sub-Saharan Africa over five years.
Wingcopter has raised $42 million in a Series A extension round backed by German investors REWE Group, Salvia and XAI technologies. The round brings the company’s total raised to $60 million.
Wingcopter’s Tom Plümmer says the financing “puts us in an excellent position to establish our drone delivery solution with our customers around the globe to optimize supply chains.”
In Malawi, where Wingcopter has been active since 2019, it is expanding its drone delivery network to transport medical goods, including emergency medicines and COVID vaccines, to remote health centers.
Other companies, such as LifeBank and Zipline, also are using drones to address Africa’s pharmaceutical logistics challenges.
Wingcopter’s flagship aircraft was recently approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, providing an opening to the U.S. market.
