MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Matternet, a pioneer in drone delivery for medical applications, announced a strategic investment from McKesson Ventures. The round of funding will provide Matternet with access to a broad set of opportunities in the U.S. healthcare logistics market and accelerate existing partnerships in key international markets. McKesson Ventures joins Matternet's roster of strategic investors Boeing, Sony and Mercedes-Benz, alongside its growing list of strategic partners UPS and Swiss Post.

Matternet is moving full-speed ahead with its mission to bring the most advanced transportation method to healthcare in the U.S. and worldwide. The company has created a new transportation mode using drone networks to deliver lightweight, urgent items on-demand with high predictability and at a fraction of the time, cost and ecological footprint of any other transportation method.

"We are proud to be creating the future of medical transportation and are thrilled about our investment from McKesson Ventures that will accelerate making our vision a reality," said Matternet CEO Andreas Raptopoulos. "Through powerful partnerships, we are set to change the lives of millions of people. Our vision is that every hospital, clinic, lab and pharmacy in the world will be connected through the most advanced, fastest, most efficient transportation method available today."

"Matternet is leading the way in defining how drone technology can be best leveraged by health systems to improve the transport of items across their campuses and is well positioned to be a leading solution for last mile delivery in general," said Tom Rodgers, SVP and Managing Director of McKesson Ventures. "McKesson has a long history as a healthcare supply chain leader and is constantly looking for innovations that can improve the speed, safety and efficiency within our supply chain on behalf of our customers and their patients." 

Matternet has been leading the urban healthcare drone logistics market since 2017, when it launched an extensive program with Swiss Post and became the first company in the world to be authorized for full operations of drone delivery over cities. Earlier this year, Matternet and UPS announced a flagship partnership to provide drone logistics services to US healthcare systems, starting at WakeMed Health & Hospitals in Raleigh, NC. At WakeMed, UPS and Matternet have successfully flown more than 1,500 flights and delivered nearly 8,000 lab samples. In September, the Matternet M2 drone logistics system enabled the first FAA-approved drone airline, UPS Flight Forward, to provide fast expansion to healthcare facilities across the US.

About Matternet
Matternet has developed groundbreaking technology for on-demand, aerial delivery in urban environments. The company provides its technology platform-as-a-service to healthcare, e-commerce and logistics organizations. In March 2017, Matternet became the first company in the world to be authorized for full operations of drone logistics networks over cities in Switzerland. In March 2019, Matternet and UPS announced a partnership to provide drone delivery services to US healthcare systems, starting with WakeMed Health in NC. In October 2019, Matternet's technology enabled the first FAA-Approved Drone Airline, UPS Flight Forward, providing fast expansion to healthcare facilities across the US. For more information about Matternet, please visit: https://mttr.net

About McKesson Ventures
McKesson Ventures is a strategic venture firm backed by McKesson Corporation focusing on early and growth stage companies. McKesson Ventures targets companies that both catalyze and benefit from the key changes taking place in the U.S. healthcare landscape. McKesson Corporation is a global leader in healthcare supply chain management solutions, retail pharmacy, healthcare technology, community oncology and specialty care. McKesson partners with life sciences companies, manufacturers, providers, pharmacies, governments and other healthcare organizations to help provide the right medicines, medical products and healthcare services to the right patients at the right time, safely and cost-effectively. Visit www.ventures.mckesson.com to learn more.

Matternet PR Contact
Jenny Russo
[email protected]

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SOURCE Matternet