Matternet and SoftBank Robotics America Announce Strategic Partnership to Scale Drone Delivery Networks

Partnership brings together Matternet's drone delivery platform and SoftBank Robotics America's commercialization capabilities to accelerate deployment of autonomous aerial logistics

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Matternet and SoftBank Robotics America today announced a strategic partnership to accelerate deployment of drone delivery solutions for healthcare, retail, and enterprise logistics customers.

Last-mile delivery continues to face structural pressures from labor shortages, rising costs, urban congestion, and relentless customer demand for faster, more reliable service. Autonomous drone delivery is emerging as a compelling new logistics layer that overcomes these challenges and helps operators improve service levels while lowering cost and reducing dependency on traditional ground-based delivery methods.

Under the partnership, Matternet and SoftBank Robotics America will work together to commercialize and deploy drone delivery solutions for enterprise customers, with an initial focus on healthcare and commercial delivery — verticals where speed, reliability, and operational efficiency are critical. SoftBank Robotics America will also partner with Matternet to manufacture, install, and maintain Matternet's ground systems, providing end-to-end operational support for enterprise deployments.

Matternet has been a pioneer in autonomous drone logistics, with major regulatory and operational milestones across the U.S. and Europe. The company is the first drone delivery company to achieve both FAA Type Certification and Production Certification, and its technology has enabled tens of thousands of commercial flights in urban and suburban environments in the U.S. and Europe.

"As we enter the age of Physical AI, Matternet's vision of building autonomous networks that move atoms is becoming a reality," said Andreas Raptopoulos, Founder and CEO of Matternet. "Our partnership with SoftBank Robotics America will accelerate deployment of our technology and help build critical autonomous delivery infrastructure for healthcare, commerce, and industry."

"Autonomous logistics networks are reaching an inflection point," said Brady Watkins, President and General Manager of SoftBank Robotics America. "The challenge is no longer just the technology itself. It is how to operationalize that technology in a way that delivers consistent, measurable outcomes. Our role is to help integrate and scale platforms like Matternet in real-world delivery environments."

"At SoftBank Robotics America, we focus on turning breakthrough technologies into large-scale, real-world deployments," said Katya Akudovich, Vice President of New Ventures at SoftBank Robotics America. "By combining Matternet's technology with our global commercialization capability and experience, we are creating a powerful partnership to bring the benefits of autonomous drone delivery into day-to-day operations for vertical markets such as healthcare where speed and reliability are mission critical."

For more information about Matternet, visit matternet.com

For more information about SoftBank Robotics America, visit us.softbankrobotics.com.

About Matternet
Matternet is a leading developer of commercial drone delivery systems for urban and suburban environments. The company develops drone aircraft, ground infrastructure, and software for autonomous aerial logistics. Matternet has achieved multiple industry firsts, including being the first company authorized for commercial Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone delivery operations over cities in Switzerland, the first to launch routine revenue-generating drone delivery operations in the United States, and the first drone delivery company to achieve standard Type Certification and Production Certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Matternet's technology has powered commercial operations in healthcare and home delivery use cases across the U.S. and Europe.

About SoftBank Robotics America
SoftBank Robotics America is the North American arm of SoftBank Robotics, driving technology forward by becoming a worldwide leader in robotics solutions. Headquartered in San Francisco, SoftBank Robotics America is a trusted partner and Robot Integrator that helps clients think beyond the technology, to incorporate the people and processes that solve the most pressing challenges and deliver best run operations. SoftBank Robotics America brings value and relevancy to senior living, hospitality, aviation, class A office space, multi-family, education, facilities management, and commercial cleaning. The goal is to develop a strong partnership and foundation for automation that will realize maximum strategic value on investment in robotics. For more information on SoftBank Robotics America, please visit us.softbankrobotics.com.

About SoftBank Robotics
SoftBank Robotics Group has been at the forefront of robotics innovation since the launch of “Pepper” in 2014. The group has consistently introduced innovation, including autonomous cleaning robots in 2018, multi-tray delivery robots in 2021, and automated logistics solutions consulting in 2022. Leveraging extensive knowledge and operational data, SoftBank Robotics is playing a pioneering role as a Robot Integrator (RI) by providing effective robotic implementation solutions. With a global presence in 21 locations across 9 countries, SoftBank Robotics' robots are deployed worldwide. The group is committed to advancing towards a society where people and robots coexist through robots' transformation (RX).