Reliable Robotics

Aviation Technology · Autonomous Systems · Robotics

Funding

Reliable Robotics raises $115M extension, valuation tops $1B

Investors are betting FAA certification, not flashy demos, will decide who wins autonomous aviation.

• Reliable Robotics raised $115 million in an extension to its Series D, led by returning investor Nimble Partners, combining $90 million in equity with a $25 million term loan from Silicon Valley Bank, pushing the round to $275 million and its valuation past $1 billion.
• Reliable Robotics, founded by SpaceX veterans Robert Rose and Juerg Frefel, builds the Reliable Autonomy System that retrofits existing aircraft like the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan for automated taxi, takeoff, flight and landing.
• The new capital funds fleet expansion, added production capacity and engineering hires as Reliable pursues FAA certification on multiple fronts, including a pilot-in-cockpit autopilot system CEO Rose expects certified in 18 to 24 months.
• Reliable has now raised more than $380 million in equity since founding, with the Series D alone growing from $160 million in April to $275 million after this extension.
• The company already runs Reliable Airlines, flying six autonomy-equipped Cessna Caravans out of Albuquerque under the FAA's Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program, serving small and rural New Mexico towns.
• Crossing the $1 billion mark underscores that in aviation, regulatory certification, not software polish, is becoming the real moat for autonomy startups.