Reliable Robotics adds $115M to Series D, topping $1B valuation
What's the deal? Autonomous aviation startup Reliable Robotics has raised $115 million in fresh capital, upsizing its Series D round to $275 million at a valuation above $1 billion. Nimble PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the add-on as a returning investor, with new backers including Gideon Capital, RockCreek, Geek VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Gold Hill CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Sparkwave CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
The Mountain View company develops certifiable flight control systems that automate an aircraft's taxi, takeoff, en-route flight and landing. It has now raised more than $380 million in equity to date.
Why now? The $115 million is an add-on to a $160 million Series D announced in April, driven by what the company called "increased investor demand." The financing is not all equity: it includes a $25 million term loan from Silicon Valley Bank.
What's the endgame? Reliable is seeking Federal Aviation Administration certification for its autonomy system on the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, which it bills as the first FAA-certifiable system enabling full gate-to-gate automated flight. The new capital will fund an expanded aircraft fleet, more production capacity and a larger engineering team.
Where's it expanding? Alongside the round, Reliable is opening offices in Seattle and San Diego, adding to sites in California and New Mexico. The Seattle office will house a center of excellence for its radar program, as the company — now more than 250 people — hires across engineering roles.
What could go wrong? The segment remains capital-intensive and precommercial. Reliable's technology still needs FAA certification before commercial operations, making certification progress and actual flights — not the valuation — the real tests of whether the money converts into a business.
The signal: At $115 million, this is an unusually large raise for a still-precommercial segment, ranking in roughly the 80th percentile by size. Backed by military contracts and an FAA pilot program delivering cargo to rural New Mexico and Colorado, Reliable is betting that dual-use demand can carry autonomous flight from certification toward commercial scale.
Read more: business.thepilotnews.com, TechCrunch
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
