Natilus Raises $28M to Develop Next-Generation Aircraft

San Diego-based aerospace manufacturer Natilus has closed a $28 million Series A round led by Draper Associates with participation from Type One Ventures, The Veterans Fund and Flexport. New investors include New Vista Capital, Soma Capital, Liquid 2 VC, VU Venture Partners, and Wave FX. Natilus is adding world-class aviation veteran and former Boeing executive, Kory Mathews, to its board of directors.

“There’s a shortfall of 15,000 commercial airplanes. We need to modernize the United States to build a modern OEM,” said Aleksey Matyushev, co-founder and chief executive of Natilus. “We bring cutting-edge technology to increase the product margins while increasing the manufacturing base in the United States.

The fledgling startup employs 20 people and expects that number to double within the next several months. The company has 570 orders for planes worth an aggregate of $24 billion from public airlines across the world. It flew a prototype last year and has conducted testing that gives its customers confidence in its delivery of aircraft. Commercial deliveries could begin in the early 2030s.

“We use existing engine technology with a new airframe. Our first product is only for air freight and then will add a passenger jet,” said Matyushev.

Natilus is focused on a blended-wing-body platform that Leverages improved aerodynamics, capacity and efficiency. Its aircraft cut fuel usage by 30% and carbon emissions and operational costs by 50%. This latest funding will allow it to complete manufacturing of its first full-scale prototype regional cargo plane, KONA, which is expected to fly in the next 24 months. It is actively pursuing FAA Part 23, Amendment 64 certification for KONA and is determining a location for its 250,000 square feet manufacturing site to build 60 KONA per year.

Based on feedback from the FAA and global carrier customers, Natilus evolved its EVO passenger plane from a single-deck to a dual-deck aircraft, which offers more practicality in design, build and operations. The passenger jet is intended to compete with the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A321-neo with a configuration of 165 for international flights and could expand to 250 people for high density, shorter flights.

Founded in 2016, the Natilus team is composed of former employees from Boeing, General Atomics, Northrop Grumman, Skunkworks, SpaceX and Piper Aircraft.

Source: 🔗 Los Angeles Times