Zipline is starting a healthcare drone delivery service in partnership with Cleveland Clinic. The company has recruited former employees from Tesla and Waymo to help expand its operations.

      In the first half of 2026, Zipline's marketplace experienced a 13-fold increase. The company achieved 2.5 million deliveries and operates more flights daily than major airlines, and it is set to begin healthcare delivery services in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic.

      According to Zipline, the number of businesses utilizing its delivery app surged 13 times during H1 2026. The autonomous drone delivery service has surpassed 2.5 million commercial deliveries, with one million of those occurring in the past year, claiming to perform more daily flights than major U.S. airlines. Approximately 70% of its operations are based in the United States.

      The company is entering two new markets. In Cleveland, Zipline will launch its first U.S. healthcare home delivery service in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic, offering prescription deliveries to eligible patients at no extra cost in the Beachwood area. The program will further include lab sample deliveries, medically tailored meals, and materials for hospital-at-home care. Meanwhile, in Austin, customers will have access to food and retail deliveries from local businesses in as little as five minutes.

      To facilitate this expansion, Zipline has appointed three new executives. Sendil Palani, who has nearly 17 years of experience at Tesla, where he was VP of Finance, joins as CFO. Kevin Vosen is the new Chief Legal Officer, having held a similar position at Waymo for almost seven years. Allen Penn, who played a key role in growing Uber and managed global operations for Uber Eats, takes on the role of Head of Commercial. The evolution of drone delivery from a suburban novelty to a competitive infrastructure is underscored by Zipline’s executive appointments, suggesting the company is gearing up for growth more akin to ride-hailing than traditional logistics.

      The marketplace's growth is noteworthy, with Wonder planning to use Zipline for delivery at 50 new food halls in Texas. Little Caesars is set to increase its collaboration with Zipline from five locations to 65, and Chipotle is already on the platform alongside various local eateries. Zipline has covered over 135 million autonomous miles and delivered 20 million items without any safety incidents, which is comparable to driving every road in America 32 times. As regulatory clarity and commercial demand align, drone startups across various sectors are rapidly scaling, with Zipline's partnership with Cleveland Clinic introducing a healthcare application that expands beyond merely food delivery.