Metaplanet invests in electric aircraft Pyka

Jaan Tallinn's fund Metaplanet has invested in US-based electric aircraft manufacturer Pyka. San-Francisco-based Obvious Ventures led the $40M round B. American Piva Capital, Prelude Ventures, and Y Combinator also participated in the deal.

Founded in California in 2017 by Michael Norcia, Nathan White, Chuma Ogunwole, and Kyle Moore, Pyka designs, develops, and commercializes autonomous electric aircraft. One of its developments is the 1,320-pound Pelican Spray electric aircraft, which provides precision spraying while minimizing chemical drift. Pelican uses advanced 3D aerial photography and dynamic trajectory planning to know where obstacles are and how to fly around them.

Another recent development is the Pelican Cargo, designed for heavy loads and long-distance deliveries. It can carry up to 400 pounds over a distance of two hundred miles. The aircraft has 66 cubic feet of interior space, which is enough to carry five soft e-commerce containers.

Pyka's aircraft can be used in agriculture (for crop spraying) or in the defense sector (for example, to perform logistics operations for the US Department of Defense). Pyka operates in the US, Central America, and Brazil.

The company will use the investment to accelerate the development and commercialization of its autonomous, dual-use electric aircraft, and to expand operations with US and international customers.

Metaplanet Holdings is an early-stage investment firm of Skype’s founder Jaan Tallinn.