Reliable Robotics Raises $115M, Tops $1B in FAA Autonomy Push

Summary

Reliable Robotics’ October 20, 2026 financing added $115 million and pushed the Mountain View, California autonomous aviation startup above a $1 billion valuation. The Series D extension comprises $90 million in equity led by Nimble Partners and $25 million in Silicon Valley Bank debt, lifting the round to $275 million and total funding to $380 million. Gideon Strategic Partners, RockCreek, Geek Ventures, Gold Hill Capital and Sparkwave Capital also participated. The nearly decade-old company retrofits existing aircraft rather than building one model, and Nimble founder John Burbank says the system could serve any airframe. Co-founder and CEO Robert Rose, previously SpaceX flight software director with Tesla and Google stints, and co-founder and CTO Juerg Frefel, a nearly decade-long SpaceX engineer, are advancing four linked Federal Aviation Administration certifications.

Continuous autopilot engagement starts the engine, taxis, takes off and lands while an onboard pilot interacts through a touchscreen. Rose expects approval in 18 to 24 months, while moving the pilot to a ground-control station is at least three years away. Reliable’s internally developed solid-state collision-avoidance radar, created after legacy suppliers did not take on the project, has no moving parts, scans farther at higher resolution than conventional moving-antenna systems, costs less, requires less maintenance, and detects aircraft and infrastructure in flight and on the ground. Certification is targeted by the end of 2027. Albuquerque-based Reliable Airlines, intended as the first carrier approved for the technology, flies cargo six days a week with six Cessna Caravans and needs separate FAA operational certification. The funding extends Reliable’s runway, but deployment still depends on completing the lengthy approval sequence.