Irish drone delivery startup Manna to build 1,000-person US factory in Tulsa
▼ Summary
– Manna is building a US operations and manufacturing centre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, employing about 1,000 people, with manufacturing expected to begin in a year.
– The company plans to enter six other US cities by the end of 2027, targeting a major role in the drone delivery market.
– Manna uses autonomous drones that lower packages on a tether, operating a hybrid model of delivery-as-a-service and partnerships with platforms like DoorDash.
– The move to the US was driven by frustration with Ireland’s lack of drone-friendly regulations and a favorable US regulatory environment under the Trump administration.
– Manna already operates in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 2023, but CEO Bobby Healy acknowledges the company is slightly behind competitors like Zipline and Amazon.
The Irish drone delivery company Manna Aero is establishing a major U.S. operations and manufacturing hub in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a facility expected to eventually house 1,000 employees. Construction is already in progress, with production slated to begin roughly a year from now. This ambitious move is backed by the $50 million in venture capital the startup raised this past April.
Over the next year, Manna plans to grow its operational workforce to between 200 and 300 people. The pace of factory hiring, however, will depend on how quickly the company can expand beyond Tulsa. Manna is currently evaluating six additional U. S. cities and aims to launch services in all of them by the close of 2027, provided its rollout goes according to plan. CEO Bobby Healy told TechCrunch that the company’s ambition is to become a dominant player in American drone delivery, going head-to-head with Zipline, Amazon, and Google’s Wing.
“The United States has the market that everybody wants,” Healy said, pointing to its sheer scale, consumer habits, and the growing dominance of aggregators like DoorDash and Uber Eats. Manna’s drones operate autonomously but are monitored remotely, lowering packages on a tether instead of landing. Its business model is hybrid, offering delivery-as-a-service with per-flight fees, and it partners with DoorDash, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats in Europe while also running its own consumer app. Drone delivery has matured from a gimmick into a fiercely competitive arena, with Amazon, Walmart, and Zipline all scaling up their U. S. operations.
The decision to focus on America was partly fueled by frustration in Manna’s home market. Last month, the company scaled back its drone delivery services in Ireland, citing a lack of planning regulations that would allow it to grow. To spearhead its U. S. push, Manna hired Kenny Jacobs, former CMO of Ryanair, as executive chair and president. Healy noted that the Trump administration and the FAA have given the industry a “turbo boost” on the regulatory front. Across the board, drone startups are increasingly turning their attention to the United States, where clearer rules and defense spending are creating the most favorable climate for autonomous flight.
Manna isn’t starting from scratch in America. It has been operating since 2023 in the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone near Dallas and has since expanded into the broader Dallas-Fort Worth area. “We’re probably slightly behind the curve, but we’ll catch up quickly,” Healy said.
(Source: The Next Web)