Cloudline, a South African drone startup founded by a former Mobius Motors executive has been named a winner alongside 9 other businesses at the MassChallenge 2019 in Israel.
Cloudlines autonomous delivery drones are able to carry payloads between 100kg and 1 tonne over hundreds of kilometres. Initially aimed at the humanitarian aid sector, Cloudlines aims to expand to a global market of point-to-point delivery. At MassChallenge Cloudline is competing for $140,000.00 (500,000 NIS) in zero-equity cash prizes from the roadshow.
The 10 prize winners were among the fourth annual MassChallenge Israel Finale, which celebrated the 44 startups from Colombia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, India, and Israel that participated in the 2019 accelerator program.
“The audacity to believe you can change the world and the persistence to go out and do it is what sets MassChallenge startups apart,” said Yonit Golub Serkin, Managing Director of MassChallenge Israel. ”The 2019 cohort hails from nearly every continent of the globe and is ready to impact the lives of millions going forward. It’s an honor for us to be part of their journey.”
Recently, Cloudline was named a winner of the Airbus Bizlab and the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator for bringing sustainable logistics access to remote communities via lighter-than-air technology.
Founded by South African Spencer Horne, Cloudline aims to serve the 1 billion people who lack access to paved roads and runways with its autonomous airships that carry essential goods. The early-stage drone startup aims to bring essential goods to people in remote, hard-to-reach places using its autonomous airships.
Cloudline carries not only emergency goods, but enables the carriage of products from remote communities to central markets on the return journey. Cloudline reaches the remotest communities in rural villages, island nations and disaster stricken areas; thanks to long range and no need for infrastructure at the destination.
Cloudline combines existing technologies to carry freight without harmful carbon emissions or other pollutants.
According to mechanical engineering graduate from Harvard who previously worked for Nairobi-based Mobius Motors and South Africa’s Optimal Energy, 1 Billion people have no direct access to paved roads and runways. Cloudline aims to reach such people who are excluded from the global supply chain, due to a lack of infrastructure, impassable terrain or low population density.
“Where trucking isn’t an option, Cloudline brings in significant payloads, leapfrogging the need for expensive and inflexible infrastructure. Delivery drones are promising, but reliant on battery efficiency,” the startup writes on its website.
Apart from transport, Cloudline could help monitor large farms and land areas, fly safely over populated areas, track infrastructure like roads and railways, travel over people and animals, carry large cameras and multi-sensor rigs and market a company brand en route as completes a delivery.
The ten 2019 MassChallenge Isreali Winners
Academix Bio (Israel): An AI-based collaboration platform helps Healthcare and Life Science companies make an objective and time-efficient choice of the best-suited academic research partner worldwide, tailor matched to their specific R&D needs.
Beewise (Israel): Offers a redesigned beehive, powered by AI and advanced robotics, where bees live, thrive and pollinate. We are here to save the bees and prevent global food shortage.
Butterfly Medical (Israel): Developing a non-surgical implant to treat the symptoms of an enlarged prostate (BPH).
DAGsHub (Israel)is the home for data science collaboration.
Cloudline (South Africa) reaches 1 billion people that lack access to paved roads and runways with autonomous airships that carry essential goods.
DrizzleX (Israel): is an IOT water tracking platform that gauges residential water footprint and enables multifamily building managers to effectively manage water usage and leaks in real time.
ReSymmetry (Israel): Smart robotic therapeutic seating & wheelchair integrates movement and position changes to drastically reduce the risk of severe secondary medical conditions and discomfort resulting from prolonged motionless sitting.
Miraqules (India): Introduced StopBleed™, a powder with fibrin-like structure, with an intention to help you to survive from fatal bleeding injuries.
TuneFork (Israel): An audio personalization technology software that delivers an optimal hearing experience, improving the quality of life for people with hearing loss and the elderly.
ZygoFix (Israel): zLOCK is a simple, elegant 3D-printed spinal fusion implant, which makes it the least invasive option for one of the most common spine surgeries.
MassChallenge Israel is part of MassChallenge’s global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. The ten top companies will go on to participate in the MassChallenge Israel US Roadshow, a curated business trip and introduction to the innovation ecosystems in Boston and New York scheduled for September 9 – 13, 2019.
Since 2016, 155 alumni companies of MassChallenge Israel have raised over $180 million and created over 7,000 direct and indirect jobs globally.
MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Rhode Island, Switzerland, and Texas, MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by supporting high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. To date, more than 2,300 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $5 billion in funding, generated more than $2.7 billion in revenue, and created more than 136,000 total jobs.
