Manna Drone Delivery Raises $50M, Creates 400 Jobs

0:00It's April 1st. You're listening to Europe News today, AI Power Coverage from every European capital. Drone delivery outfit, mana, just locked in 50 million dollars in series B funding, paving the way for 400 new jobs split between Ireland and the US. Most of those gigs, 300 strong, hit Ireland with an even split between drone development and manufacturing, while 100 land, stateside. This bumps their global team from 170 to over 570 heads. The company kicked off in 2019 under founder Bobby Healey, slinging food, drinks, clothes, books, and meds via drone. They've nailed over 250,000 deliveries across Irish spots like Blanche's Town, Balbergan, and Cork. Plus runs in Texas and Finland, big names like Ark Invest, the crew behind open AI and Tesla bets, led the round alongside Ireland's strategic investment fund and others including Coca-Cola HBC. Total cash poured in now tops $110 million, fueling their scale up from Irish routes to US skies.

1:07Ireland's Enterprise Minister and Enterprise Ireland reps are buzzing, calling it proof of the nation's tech talent in robotics, software, and aviation. CEO Healey stressed Ireland as their core for design, building, and ops after seven years of local grinding. They face pushback on noise and privacy, but mana counters that their drones stay quieter than street buzz, skip filming flights, and store no. Footage, with his boost, expect more wings in the air, reshaping how we get goods fast.