# Grid Aero: drone company

Canonical ID: `8bd996d7-21ca-4238-8071-99f56f9e6813`

## Key facts

- **Funding:** [$26M total: $6M Seed (Aug 2025) + $20M Series A (Jan 26, 2026)](/investors.md) ([see investors](/investors.md))
- **Founded:** 2024
- **HQ:** San Leandro, California, USA
- **CEO:** [Arthur Dubois](/people/arthur-dubois.md) (co-founder; ex-Joby Aviation / Xwing)
- **Co-founders:** [Chinmay Patel](/people/chinmay-patel.md) (CTO, ex-Boeing Wisk), [Alex Kroll](/people/alex-kroll.md) (former Air Force test pilot), [Brandon Florian](/people/brandon-florian.md) (CCO, ex-Northrop Grumman)
- **FAA certification:** Special Airworthiness Certificate for Lifter Lite (issued July 9, 2025; N4719D, fixed-wing multi-engine)
- **Air Force contract:** Direct to Phase II SBIR from AFWERX (~$1.2M)
- **Cargo capacity:** 2,000–10,000 lbs over thousands of miles; diesel powertrain, conventional aviation fuel
- **Partnerships:** Everts Air (LOI for Alaska cargo), A2G International, Aviation Without Borders
- **Headquarters:** San Leandro, California, USA
- **Hero image candidate:** https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/689fb6c4efb9677c99d50049/[Lifter-Lite](/models/lifter-lite.md)-prototype/1960x0.jpg (source: Forbes / Grid Aero press kit — Courtesy of Grid Aero)

- **Slug:** grid-aero
- **Status:** private
- **Founded:** 2024
- **HQ:** San Leandro, California, USA
- **Funding total (USD):** 26000000
- **Category:** [Drones](/drones)

## Models

- [Lifter-Lite](/models/lifter-lite.md) (aerial) (id: `351ad18d-ba3a-4f08-b452-e37549ea7a1d`)

## Current leadership (8)

- [Arthur Dubois](/people/arthur-dubois.md) Co-founder & CEO (secondary-verified)
- [Chinmay Patel](/people/chinmay-patel.md) Co-founder & CTO (secondary-verified)
- [Chinmay Patel](/people/chinmay-patel.md) Co-founder (secondary-verified)
- [Arthur Dubois](/people/arthur-dubois.md) Co-founder (secondary-verified)
- [Alex Kroll](/people/alex-kroll.md) Co-founder (secondary-verified)
- [Alex Kroll](/people/alex-kroll.md) Co-founder & former Air Force test pilot (secondary-verified)
- [Brandon Florian](/people/brandon-florian.md) Co-founder & Chief Commercial Officer (secondary-verified)
- [Brandon Florian](/people/brandon-florian.md) Co-founder (secondary-verified)

## Partnerships (2)

- [Grid Aero x A2G International](/partnerships/grid-aero-x-a2g-international.md) with A2G International _deployment_ (announced) (_reported, not operationally verified_)
- [Grid Aero x Everts Air](/partnerships/grid-aero-x-everts-air.md) with Everts Air _deployment_ (announced) (_reported, not operationally verified_)

## Supplies to

_No verified supply relationships on file. Supply-chain coverage is being added across the registry; check back as the seed populates this company's outbound edges._

_Outbound supply edges. Each appears when verified with at least two strong sources. Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history._

## Common questions

### What is Grid Aero?

Grid Aero is a San Leandro-based aerospace startup building [Lifter-Lite](/models/lifter-lite), a low-cost autonomous cargo aircraft designed to carry 2,000–10,000 lbs over thousands of miles in contested environments. Founded in 2024 by a team of aerospace veterans, the company pairs simple, attritable airframes with autonomous software to enable distributed airlift for military, humanitarian, and remote commercial logistics — a 'flying pickup truck' aimed at Pacific-theater contested logistics and austere operations where traditional platforms like the C-130 are too expensive and vulnerable.

### What does Grid Aero make?

Grid Aero has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Lifter-Lite (Grid Aero builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).

### Is Grid Aero publicly traded?

No. Grid Aero is privately held and not publicly traded, per the DEPLOY registry.

### How can I invest in Grid Aero?

Grid Aero is a private company; its shares are not available on public markets, so retail investors cannot buy the stock today. It has raised $26M in disclosed funding.

### Where is Grid Aero headquartered?

Grid Aero is headquartered in San Leandro, California, USA.

### How much funding has Grid Aero raised?

Grid Aero has raised approximately $26M in disclosed funding on record in the DEPLOY registry.

### Who owns Grid Aero?

Grid Aero is privately held and venture-backed ($26M raised); ownership sits with its founders and private investors.

### Where does Grid Aero operate robots?

Grid Aero is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.


## Sources (2)

1. https://www.axios.com/2026/01/26/grid-aero-series-a-cargo-drone
2. https://aeromorning.com/en/aerospace-defense-startup-grid-aero-raises-20m-series-a/

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