Zipline expands U.S. drone delivery push with Cleveland and Austin launches
Zipline is accelerating its U.S. drone delivery expansion. The autonomous logistics company said it will launch new operations in Cleveland and Austin, add senior executives from Tesla, Waymo and Uber, and build on a sharp increase in businesses using its delivery marketplace.
The Cleveland launch will begin in July with Cleveland Clinic in the suburb of Beachwood. Eligible patients will be able to opt in to receive certain prescription deliveries at home at no additional cost, with the program planned to expand over time to lab samples, medically tailored meals, medical and surgical supplies, and hospital-at-home materials moving between Cleveland Clinic facilities.
Zipline said Austin operations will start in the coming months. Customers there will be able to order food and retail items from local businesses through the Zipline app, with deliveries available in as little as five minutes.
The company said the number of businesses offering delivery through its app grew 13-fold in the first half of 2026. Its network now includes national brands such as Chipotle and local restaurants including Anothai Cuisine in Houston and Amelia's Cocina Mexicana in Rowlett, while Wonder plans to use Zipline at 50 upcoming Texas food halls and Little Caesars is expanding from five Zipline-enabled locations to 65.
Zipline also named Sendil Palani as chief financial officer after 17 years at Tesla, Kevin Vosen as chief legal officer after senior legal roles at Waymo and Ohalo, and Allen Penn as head of commercial after helping scale Uber and Uber Eats. The company said it has completed more than 2.5 million commercial deliveries, including one million in the past year, and that its fully autonomous aircraft now fly more daily trips than major U.S. airlines, signaling that drone delivery is moving from limited deployments toward broader logistics infrastructure.