Liftoff! DASH Systems raises $8 million to advance air cargo delivery
By: Tusk Ventures
Tags: Portfolio News, Funding, Hardware

The DASH team

Each day millions of packages are shipped around the world. Cargo is loaded, planes take off, land, unload and take off again. The process repeats itself day after day: load, fly, land.

Enter our newest portfolio company, DASH Systems. DASH is launching today with an $8 million Seed round to change where, when and how packages are delivered. Led by Joel Ifill and Bryan Miller, the LA-based startup is developing hardware and software to enable precision airdrop deliveries in remote locations without the need for landing — saving fuel, time and shipping delays. See how it works here.

Ship times from the TVP office

DASH’s vision is to “land the package, not the plane.” Instead of having to land at an airport and drive cargo to its destination, DASH allows retailers, package delivery companies, and emergency management organizations to autonomously release and land packages from commercial aircraft to helipad-size areas anywhere in the world.

Living in a major city it might be hard to imagine, but overnight or two day shipping still isn’t a reality in much of America yet. It’s in those places — rural America — where the costs add up and consumers are cut off from delivery infrastructure. Traditionally, 30% of the cost for delivering cargo or goods to small airports is associated with landing the plane. DASH’s process saves commercial shippers fuel costs and benefits the end-user by receiving packages in just days versus weeks.

DASH in action

DASH’s system relies on three parts: flight management software, automated aircraft cargo handling systems and the smart-cargo pods that allow for precise and soft landings of packages. Using an existing commercial airplane, DASH’s flight management software maps the delivery route and instructs the pilot where and how to fly, simplifying and streamlining the process. When the aircraft reaches the correct spot, DASH’s aircraft cargo handling system automatically releases the smart-cargo pods which land safely and softly at the desired location.

Founder and CEO Joel Ifill first tested the precision airdrop model in 2017 to provide humanitarian and disaster relief to remote areas after multiple hurricanes. Last year Joel brought on Bryan Miller as COO and launched DASH to focus on commercial partnerships.

The system is inspired by defense technology and is a modern update to a longstanding and legal practice of air-drops repurposed for commercial and humanitarian use. Our mission at TVP is to help startups move faster and avoid regulatory hurdles. Given DASH’s concept falls within existing FAA regulations and has undergone proof of concept tests in disaster relief and extensive use in the defense industry, our eyes lit up at the prospect of helping bring this technology into the world.

DASH aims to replace hub and spoke freight air distribution with planes flying longer flights on contiguous routes, delivering commercial packages at a fraction of both the cost and speed of traditional services.

The entire Tusk Venture Partners team is excited to partner with DASH to make it faster, cheaper and greener to ship packages to the places that need it most.

To learn more, you can read about DASH in Techcrunch and check out Dash’s careers page to join the growing team.