Bobby Healy, founder and chief executive of Manna Aero, has been chosen as The Irish Times Businessperson of the Month for March, an award run in association with Bank of Ireland.
During the month, the company announced that it had raised $30 million to help fund its ambitious expansion plans.
Manna has been leading the way in drone delivery services, succeeding in getting its delivery commercial service off the ground.
A serial entrepreneur who counts CarTrawler and Eland Technologies among his previous ventures, Mr Healy founded Manna in 2018. The company develops aviation-grade drones that fly at 80km/h and deliver goods including groceries, takeaways and medicines within a 3km radius in less than three minutes.
The aim is to reduce congestion on roads and cut carbon emissions associated with delivery vehicles.
Manna has raised $60 million in funding since it was founded, including the $30 million round in March. Among its backers are Molten Ventures and Tapestry VC, Enterprise Ireland, Coca-Cola HBC, Dynamo VC and Radius Capital.
This money is set to fund the company’s immediate growth plans. It has signed deals with DoorDash and JustEat, two of the biggest food delivery companies globally.
While Healy and his team have had to navigate a stringent regulatory process, Manna has now carried out more than 160,000 drone deliveries since it began testing the service.
With services already under way in Dublin 15, Manna is now planning to expand to other areas. It is also carrying out tests in Finland, and is eyeing the UK for potential expansion.
