Irish drone delivery firm Manna to create 400 new jobs following €43.6m investment

New roles to be across robotics, software engineering, aviation and as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields both in Ireland and the US

Bobby Healy, founder and chief executive of Manna Aero with a Manna air delivery drone. 

Irish drone delivery firm Manna is to create 400 new jobs across its operations in Ireland and the US following a new funding round which raised $50m (€43.6m) for the company.

Investors in this round included ARK Invest, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), and Schooner Capital, alongside the company’s existing investors which includes Coca-Cola, Molten Ventures and Enterprise Ireland.

The new roles will be across robotics, software engineering, aviation and as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Stem) fields. Between Ireland and the US, these new roles will bring the company’s total headcount to 570.

Manna designs, builds and operates its drones and software in Ireland.

Following this latest funding round, the total investment brought into the company so far now stands at $110m.

Manna founder and chief executive Bobby Healy said this investment “allows us to scale, in Ireland and across the United States, where we already fly in Texas”.

“A number of American cities and states there have been very enthusiastic about the potential of aerial delivery for logistics and communities.

Ireland is the foundation of everything we do. We design and build our drones here, develop our software here, and have spent seven years refining our operations in communities across the country.

Interim director at the ISIF Rebekah Brady said they were “committed to supporting Manna as part of our mandate to invest commercially in ways that deliver long-term economic impact for Ireland and align with our focus on scaling indigenous businesses”.

“Manna’s continued expansion demonstrates the global potential of innovative Irish-founded companies operating at the forefront of autonomous aviation, while creating high-quality Stem employment in Ireland and scaling internationally,” she said.

Over the past seven years, Manna has operated across Ireland in Blanchardstown (Dublin West), Balbriggan, Co Dublin, Moneygall, Co Offaly, Oranmore, Co Galway, and Cork, as well as internationally in Texas and Finland.

Last month, Manna announced a new pilot partnership programme in Cork City to explore the demand for its services with an eye to a gradual rollout of the system.

The company has completed more than 250,000 deliveries, including 60,000 in Blanchardstown over two years, delivering books, medical supplies such as antigen tests, food and clothing.

Enterprise Ireland executive director Kevin Sherry said its continued investment reflects its “focus on supporting bold founders with ambition to scale internationally from an Irish base”.

“Manna is a standout example of an Irish company with clear global growth opportunities driven from an Irish headquarters. We are excited to continue partnering with the company as it accelerates its international expansion, substantially increasing its employment in Ireland,” he said.