The verified answer
As of Oct 2026, DEPLOY verifies Buoyant Aero: 1 model, 1 deployment across 1 region, 1 active incident. 5 sources back the record.
CategoryDrones
Appears inLogistics robots/Delivery drones
Overview
Buoyant Aero is a Y Combinator (S21)-backed hardware startup developing zero-emissions autonomous drone blimps. Originally conceived for middle-mile cargo logistics in remote areas, the company now operates a 'Blimps-as-a-Service' aerial advertising platform, flying custom-branded blimps for clients like Amazon Prime Video. Its hybrid electric airships generate ~70% of lift from helium and 30% from tilt-rotor aerodynamic lift, with a payload target of up to 650 lb (295 kg).
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 1 deployment on file
- Active incidents
- 1 incident on file
Key facts
YC S21 hybrid airship thesis (TechCrunch)
Aerial brand campaign case studies (primary Buoyant)
Automated blimp advertising platform
Press and company updates
Data & sources
News coverage
1
Web sources
4
5 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Partnerships
Every company Buoyant Aero has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most-frequent partners
- 1Amazon Prime Video1× joint
- 2MGM Studios1× joint
Most recent
- with Amazon Prime Videooperating
Buoyant Aero on the deployment map
View the global map1 verified deployment across 1 region, newest verified Jul 2025. Explore where Buoyant Aero's robots are operating, by place and type.
View the full Buoyant Aero deployment record →
Relationships
Current leadership (3)
- Ben Claman CEO & Co-founder, Co-foundersecondary-verified
- Joe Figura Co-foundersecondary-verified
- Albie Brown CEO & Co-founder, Co-foundersecondary-verified
Founders (3)
- Joe Figuracofounderno longer at company
- Ben Clamancofounderno longer at company
- Albie Browncofounderno longer at company
Safety record
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Incidents affecting Buoyant Aero (1)
- FAA issues Certificate of Waiver 107W-2026-00686 to Buoyant Aero for UAS operations over humans and moving vehicles2026-05-15 · Regulatory action
via Buoyant Aero Cargo Blimp at Los Angeles, California, USA
Includes incidents linked directly to this company, to its models, or to deployments of its models or under its operation. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Operator customers (1)
- Buoyant Aero1 deployment
Recent coverage
Buoyant Aero in third-party press
Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Skydio6 models
- SIYI Technology5 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- early
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships
1 total · 1 operating · 1 ended
Every company Buoyant Aero has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
- with Amazon Prime Videooperating
Most-frequent partners
- 1Amazon Prime Video1× joint
- 2MGM Studios1× joint
All 1 partnerships
open in the atlas →- Buoyant Aero x Amazon Prime Video (Heads of State)withAmazon Prime Video,MGM Studiosdeployment2025-06-22concludedoperating
Funding rounds (1)
- Seed2021-08-23
Investors: Y Combinator (lead), Founders Inc, Soma Capital, Global Founders Capital, Tango.vc, Arc Ventures, Climate Capital, Daft Capital
Timeline
Every recorded move in Buoyant Aero’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
PartnershipBuoyant Aero x Amazon Prime Video (Heads of State)
2025-06-22Buoyant Aero designed, built, and flew a custom-branded advertising blimp for Amazon Prime Video/MGM Studios to promote the film 'Heads of State' along the Los Angeles coastline over July 4th weekend 2025. The 3-day campaign delivered 762,500+ impressions across 7 beach zones from Malibu to Redondo Beach.
Funding roundSeed funding round
2021-08-23Seed
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJul 6, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Incident recordedMay 15, 2026
FAA issues Certificate of Waiver 107W-2026-00686 to Buoyant Aero for UAS operations over...
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJul 4, 2025
Buoyant Aero Cargo Blimp at Los Angeles, California, USA
Sources (5)
Common questions
What is Buoyant Aero?
What does Buoyant Aero make?
Is Buoyant Aero publicly traded?
Who competes with Buoyant Aero?
Who is the CEO of Buoyant Aero?
How can I invest in Buoyant Aero?
Where is Buoyant Aero headquartered?
Who owns Buoyant Aero?
Where does Buoyant Aero operate robots?
How many robots has Buoyant Aero deployed?
Is Buoyant Aero a top robotics company?
When was Buoyant Aero founded?
Are there any incidents involving Buoyant Aero?
Is Buoyant Aero safe?
Methodology: Verified · 5 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-09-29
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-09-29
Sources by quality tier
- 4
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- secondary-industry-publication
- Industry publication
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Buoyant Aero.Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Skydio6 models
- SIYI Technology5 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Buoyant Aero from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
FAA Certificate of Waiver 107W-2026-00686 — Buoyant Aero, Inc.
FAA Certificate of Waiver issued to Buoyant Aero, Inc. (Responsible Person: Benjamin R Claman) authorizing small UAS operations over human beings and moving vehicles, effective…
Buoyant Aero Inc. - Exemption/Rulemaking (Response) — FAA Docket FAA-2026-0749
Buoyant Aero's response to the FAA clarifying its petition for an exemption under Exemption No. 21914 to conduct aerial advertising operations including banner towing, hanging…
Amazon Prime Video x Buoyant Aero — Heads of State blimp activation
Case study of Buoyant Aero's 3-day branded blimp campaign for Amazon Prime Video/MGM's 'Heads of State' film along the Los Angeles coastline, delivering 762,500+ impressions over…
Aerodynamic Buoyant Blimp Budges Into Low-Cost Cargo Commerce
Hackaday technical deep dive into Buoyant's hybrid airship approach to cargo transportation using modern blimp technology.
Here are all the companies from Y Combinator's Summer 2021 Demo Day, part 1
TechCrunch's roundup of Y Combinator's Summer 2021 Demo Day batch, featuring Buoyant Aero among the cohort.
Launch HN: Buoyant (YC S21) – Blimp drones for air freight
Hacker News launch post where founders Ben Claman and Joe Figura introduce Buoyant's autonomous cargo airships for middle-mile freight in remote areas.
YC grad Buoyant wants to solve middle-mile delivery with cargo airships
TechCrunch profile of Buoyant Aero's YC graduation, hybrid airship design, and M in letters of intent for middle-mile cargo delivery.
Buoyant Aero: Bringing back blimps — Y Combinator company page
Y Combinator company directory page describing Buoyant Aero's zero-emissions autonomous drone blimps for aerial advertising, listed in the Summer 2021 batch.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/buoyant-aero.md
- RSS feed: /companies/buoyant-aero/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/799b40c9-3736-4781-b28e-2f2278b920e5
- Revision history: /companies/buoyant-aero/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Skydio6 models
- SIYI Technology5 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
Video
China's domestically developed buoyant airborne turbine, S500, is on display at the Airshow China in Zhuhai. The helium-filled airship could ascend to 500 meters above ground. #AirshowChina #China #S500 #airship #airshow
This video shows real footage from flight tests of our 20' prototype unmanned airship. Our final airship will be 60' long and carry 650 lbs. www.buoyant.aero
The LH5 during the summer of 1999 test flight in trees. http://www.winsvehicles.com/
Students at our class fly with their innovative ideas and the explore the world of creativity with their wings #creatorsspacei4labs #creatorsspace
In this video, we show how the quality of helium influences the rate at which a balloon rises. For more in this video series and to learn more about the BLIMP
Heat Index
Serious52/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Buoyant Aero draws attention at the 36th percentile but verifies reality at the 20th percentile among aerial robots. Hype Gap +15.8, 42nd widest among aerial robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Safety profile within acceptable range for category. Funding runway warrants monitoring: last known round 62 months ago.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Oct 7, 2026