Skyfly raises $10M seed to bring Axe eVTOL to market
What's the deal? UK's Skyfly TechnologiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has closed a $10 million seed round to take its two-seat electric aircraft, the Axe, from flying prototype to certified production. HICODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Investment Group led the round, with participation from ArchangelDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a European defence technology fund.
What's the endgame? Skyfly develops electric and hybrid-electric vertically capable aircraft. The Axe takes off like a helicopter and flies like an aeroplane, with a range of more than 100 miles, a 200kg payload, a projected running cost near £70 ($90) per flying hour, and no runway required.
Why now? The company called the timing "deliberate." In July 2026, the United States Federal Aviation Administration's MOSAIC reforms rewrote Light Sport Aircraft rules to admit electric propulsion and vertical take-off designs built for private owners. Skyfly says the Axe was designed for that rulebook before it existed.
The funding will complete certification under the new standards, grow the team and production on both sides of the Atlantic, and accelerate the hybrid powertrain behind the Longbow — an unmanned, longer-range variant aimed at defence and government customers. The prototype has flown more than 100 times and completed Europe's first airfield-to-airfield eVTOL flight, Skyfly says.
What could go wrong? The eVTOL sector is capital-intensive, and developers are still raising large sums to fund certification. Delays and failures — including Lilium's insolvency — have sharpened scrutiny of cash runway and timelines. Skyfly, which earlier hoped to deliver aircraft from 2026, now points to 2027.
The signal: At $10 million, the round ranks in the 99th percentile of all-time seed rounds for UK transportation startups. It is meaningful backing for a small developer — though not yet evidence that the Axe is close to market without more detail on certification and production.
Read more: urbanairmobilitynews.com
Image credit: Skyfly Technologies Ltd
