🧨 Thursday Threat: Zipline — The Drones Coming for FedEx, UPS, and DoorDash
Every Thursday we highlight a business model, industry, or incumbent that’s about to get smacked by the future.
I’m @ArtParmann, and this is Rounders to Founders. Where I go down the business rabbit hole, find the weirdest (and most profitable) ideas & business tools out there, and share the best ones with you. |
🚁 The Threat
Traditional delivery companies — FedEx, UPS, USPS, DoorDash, Instacart — are all on the clock.
Their biggest threat isn’t Amazon. It’s Zipline — the drone delivery company quietly eating their lunch from 400 feet above the ground.
📦 What’s Happening
Zipline isn’t a prototype story. It’s operating at scale — and fast.
1M+ commercial deliveries completed
100M autonomous miles flown
A delivery every minute across 8 countries
Partners include Walmart, Panera, Jet’s Pizza, Chipotle, and major healthcare systems
Zipline drones zip around at 70 mph, travel 60+ miles per trip, and drop packages by parachute with surgical precision — no landing, no noise, no waiting.
The result?
Zero emissions. Near-zero delivery time. Near-zero friction.
⚖️ Why This Threat Is Real
The old guard still fights traffic. Zipline flies over it.
1. Regulatory Advantage:
In 2024, the FAA gave Zipline permission to operate beyond visual line of sight — a key unlock Amazon and Alphabet’s Wing are still chasing.
2. Market Expansion:
Zipline started in Africa, delivering medical supplies to remote hospitals. Now it’s pivoting to urban retail and restaurant delivery in U.S. cities.
3. Cost & Carbon Pressure:
Zipline’s battery drones save 900,000+ gallons of fuel vs vans.
As “green logistics” becomes regulation (not marketing), old delivery models are toast.
📉 Who’s at Risk
FedEx & UPS: Trying to protect their moat with internal drone programs (Elroy Air, UPS Flight Forward) — but still testing while Zipline’s scaling.
DoorDash & Instacart: Zipline’s 10-minute radius beats drivers stuck in rush hour.
Amazon Logistics: They’ve spent billions on drones… and still can’t get FAA approval for nationwide autonomy.
When drones can drop a hot pizza faster than your Uber Eats driver can leave the parking lot, the economics of “last mile” flip overnight.
💬 Founder Q&A: Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, Zipline CEO
Q: How did Zipline start?
“We began in Rwanda. It was the only place crazy enough — and smart enough — to let us fly autonomously right away.”
Q: Why pivot from healthcare to consumer delivery?
“Once you prove reliability in medicine, people trust you with anything — food, prescriptions, groceries. The hard part wasn’t tech. It was trust.”
Q: What’s your advice to founders facing skeptics?
“Go where you’re needed. Solve a painful problem. Results beat resumes.”
Coming soon to a backyard near you…
💡 Entrepreneur Takeaway
Zipline isn’t just flying faster — it’s reframing delivery itself.
Here’s what founders can learn:
Disrupt before you’re disrupted. The best moat is momentum.
Sustainability is now a sales pitch. Green = profitable.
Partnerships scale faster than perfection. Zipline didn’t compete with hospitals or restaurants — it integrated with them.
📊 Quick Stats
45M+ people served
20M+ medical products delivered
900,000+ gallons of fuel saved
Expanding to major U.S. metros (with Chipotle & Walmart drops already live)
🔥 The Bottom Line
Vans burn gas. Drones burn old business models.
And when customers can get meds, meals, and groceries delivered from the sky in under 10 minutes — roads start looking a little outdated.
Threat Level: ☠️☠️☠️☠️ (High)
Legacy delivery is out of runway. What industry is next on the chopping block?
Cheers,
Art
Here’s to the future!