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DRONE DELIVERY COMPANY Manna has announced that it is set to create 400 new jobs in Ireland and the US following a funding round of $50m.
Manna was founded by Bobby Healy in 2019 and provides a drone delivery service for food, beverages and other items such as clothing, books and medical supplies.
It has completed over 250,000 successful deliveries to date and has operated across Ireland in Blanchardstown, Balbriggan, Moneygall, Oranmore and Cork, as well as internationally in Texas and Finland.
It’s expected that 300 of the 400 new roles will be based in Ireland, with the other 100 based in the US.
Of the 300 jobs in Ireland, these roles will be split evenly between developing and manufacturing the drones.
The new jobs will bring Manna’s global headcount from 170 to over 570.
It follows a “Series B” funding round of $50m – Series B funding rounds are designed to scale established companies.
This takes the total investment in Manna to $110m.
The funding round was led by ARK Invest, which has invested in companies such as OpenAI, Tesla and SpaceX, as well as the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) and Schooner Capital.
Existing investors Coca-Cola HBC, Molten Ventures and Enterprise Ireland also took part in the funding round.
CEO and Founder Bobby Healy remarked that “Ireland is the foundation of everything we do”.
“We design and build our drones here, develop our software here, and have spent seven years refining our operations in communities across the country,” he added.
“This investment allows us to scale, in Ireland and across the United States where we already fly in Texas.”
Healy said a number of American cities and states have been “very enthusiastic about the potential of aerial delivery for logistics and communities”.
Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said the announcement is a “powerful endorsement of Ireland’s standing as a global centre for innovation and advanced manufacturing”.
He added that the creation of “so many highly-skilled positions across robotics, software engineering, aviation and regulatory disciplines underscores the depth and quality of Ireland’s talent base”.
Meanwhile, Executive Director at Enterprise Ireland, remarked that its “continued investment reflects its focus on supporting bold founders with ambition to scale internationally from an Irish base”.
He described Manna as a “standout example of an Irish company with clear global growth opportunities driven from an Irish headquarters”.
Manna has run into some local opposition over the years and was last year refused permission to retain a delivery hub near the M50.
Some have also expressed concerns over noise and privacy, but Manna says its drones don’t film while flying and no videos or photos are stored or saved.
Manna also noted that its drones are quieter than “street traffic” and much quieter than a lawn mower.
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