Tekever vs Zipline: Drones & aerial compared

November 2026 edition · assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence

Zipline ranks 66 on the Robotics 100 with a score of 81; Tekever ranks 96 with 78. Tekever is ahead on commercials. Zipline is ahead on progress and firepower. Level on deployment, production, technology, positioning and leverage. Tekever is based in Lisbon, Portugal, Zipline in South San Francisco, United States. Tekever: Established. Tekever is named in 4 signals and Zipline in 51.

Tekever →

Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal · Robotics · Systems / Drones & aerial · Established · tekever.com

TEKEVER builds autonomous unmanned aerial systems for defense, intelligence, surveillance and security missions, operated in the field along NATO borders.

Robotics 100 · rank 96 · score 78

Scores, Robotics (of 10)

Deployment8
Production6
Commercials8
Progress8
Technology8
Positioning8
Firepower8
Leverage8

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

Tekever is a Portuguese maker of AR3 and AR5 UAS (the AR3 with 10,000+ combat flight hours in Ukraine) serving the UK MoD, EMSA, and the UK Home Office, a confirmed unicorn (May 2025, ~$1.3B valuation) with a GBP 400M five-year UK investment program (OVERMATCH) creating 1,000+ jobs. Its investors include Baillie Gifford, the NATO Innovation Fund, and NSSIF. Revenue is not disclosed (estimated 100-500m).

Latest signals

  • TEKEVER raises $580M Series D fundingTech.eu
  • TEKEVER closes $580 million Series D at $6.4 billion valuationTech.eu
  • European DeepTech and life-science spin-offs raised an estimated €8 billion in 2025.EU-Startups

4 signals name Tekever.

Facts, with sources

  • [object Object]EE Times
  • Helsing AI, Quantum, and TEKEVER are operating across NATO borders.EE Times

2 facts on file.

Zipline →

South San Francisco, California, United States · Robotics · Systems / Drones & aerial · flyzipline.com

Zipline builds autonomous drone-delivery systems and operates them for healthcare and commercial deliveries. Its core business is the design and deployment of aerial robotic systems.

Robotics 100 · rank 66 · score 81

Scores, Robotics (of 10)

Deployment8
Production6
Commercials4
Progress10
Technology8
Positioning8
Firepower10
Leverage8

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

Zipline is a US drone-delivery company that passed 2M+ commercial deliveries by January 2026 with 15% week-over-week US growth, and raised a $600M round at a $7.6B valuation in January 2026. It signed a strategic Uber Eats partnership plus an Uber investment (August 2026) targeting 1M deliveries a day by 2029, and launched in Houston and Phoenix, growing businesses on the platform 13x in H1-26. Revenue is undisclosed (delivery scale is the proxy).

Latest signals

  • Family offices are seeking late-stage exposure to deals involving Zipline, Vast, and Atoms.All-In Podcast
  • Zipline surpassed 2.5 million cumulative autonomous deliveries.ARK Invest
  • Walmart surpassed 1 million autonomous drone deliveries.ARK Invest

51 signals name Zipline.

Facts, with sources

  • [object Object]a16z — 2026-09-18
  • AI-driven autonomous drones for medical delivery in areas of needa16z — 2026-09-18
  • Partnership with Uber on drone deliveryTechCrunch

14 facts on file.

More comparisons

Questions this page answers

Tekever or Zipline: which is ahead in robotics?

Zipline ranks 66 on the Robotics 100 with a score of 81; Tekever ranks 96 with 78. Tekever is ahead on commercials. Zipline is ahead on progress and firepower. Level on deployment, production, technology, positioning and leverage. Tekever is based in Lisbon, Portugal, Zipline in South San Francisco, United States. Tekever: Established. Tekever is named in 4 signals and Zipline in 51.

How do Tekever and Zipline compare?

Zipline ranks 66 on the Robotics 100 with a score of 81; Tekever ranks 96 with 78. Tekever is ahead on commercials. Zipline is ahead on progress and firepower. Level on deployment, production, technology, positioning and leverage. Tekever is based in Lisbon, Portugal, Zipline in South San Francisco, United States. Tekever: Established. Tekever is named in 4 signals and Zipline in 51. Both company files carry the scores on eight measures, the facts with sources and the latest signals.

Every comparison here comes from the same files members use every day.

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