Natilus

HardwareSan Diego, USAFounded 2016· One of 1818 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse

Developer of next-generation, hyper-efficient blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft designed to revolutionize air freight and commercial aviation through superior aerodynamics and increased volume.

CEO / Founder: Aleksey Matyushev
Team Size: 11-50
Stage: Growth Stage
Total Funding: $30.0M
Latest Round: Series A
Key Investors: Draper Associates, Starship Ventures, Seraph Group, Gelt Venture Capital, Ligo Partners, Lateral Capital, Starburst, Type One Ventures, The Veterans Fund, Flexport, New Vista Capital, Soma Capital, Liquid 2 VC, VU Venture Partners, Wave FX

Technology & Products

Key Products

Natilus is developing a family of blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft, including the HORIZON Evo passenger aircraft and the KONA prototype. They have over 570+ aircraft pre-orders valued at $24 billion.

Technological Advantage

Proprietary 'Diamond' shaped cargo bay design that allows for efficient loading of standard rectangular pallets within a non-cylindrical fuselage, solving the primary historical barrier to BWB cargo adoption.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Reduces air freight costs by 60% and CO2 emissions by 50% while providing 60% more cargo volume than traditional tube-and-wing aircraft of the same weight class.

How They Differentiate

Proprietary Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) design featuring a patented 'Diamond' cargo bay that allows for the efficient loading of standard rectangular pallets, solving the volume-utilization issues of traditional BWB airframes.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Global logistics companies, air cargo carriers, e-commerce platforms, regional airlines, and defense agencies.

Industry Verticals

Aerospace & Aviation, Logistics & Supply Chain, E-commerce, Defense & Government

Competitors

JetZero, Dronamics, Sabrewing Aircraft Co, Elroy Air

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Pre-order backlog reached $24 billion for over 570 aircraft by early 2026, up from $6 billion in 2022.

Major Milestones

Series A funding round of $28M led by Draper Associates in Feb 2026, Strategic partnership with Palantir to use 'Warp Speed' AI software for manufacturing in April 2025, Partnership with Kuehne+Nagel to bring BWB aircraft to commercial air freight in May 2025, Major purchase agreement with SpiceJet for 100 Horizon passenger aircraft in Dec 2025, Unveiling of the Horizon Evo 200-seat passenger BWB aircraft with dual-deck design in Feb 2026, Appointment of Mylène Scholnick (former Amazon Air) to Advisory Board in March 2026, Kory Mathews (former Boeing executive) joins Board of Directors in Feb 2026

Notable Customers

SpiceJet, Ameriflight, Flexport, Volatus Aerospace, Astral Aviation, Nolinor Aviation, Palantir

https://natilus.co

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

Natilus is developing a family of blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft that integrate the wing and fuselage into a single lifting body, reducing drag and fuel consumption compared to traditional tube-and-wing designs. The company targets the air freight and commercial aviation markets with a value proposition of 60% lower operating costs and 50% lower CO2 emissions, alongside 60% more cargo volume for the same weight class.

The core technology is the proprietary 'Diamond' shaped cargo bay, which enables efficient loading of standard rectangular pallets within the non-cylindrical BWB fuselage. This design solves a historical barrier to BWB adoption in cargo applications. Natilus is developing two primary models: the KONA prototype and the HORIZON Evo 200-seat passenger aircraft.

Natilus has secured over 570 aircraft pre-orders valued at $24 billion as of early 2026. Named customers include SpiceJet, Ameriflight, Flexport, Volatus Aerospace, Astral Aviation, Nolinor Aviation, and Palantir. The company has formed strategic partnerships with Palantir for AI-driven manufacturing acceleration, Siemens for digital twin tools, and ZeroAvia for hydrogen-electric propulsion development.

The company competes with other next-generation aircraft developers such as JetZero, Dronamics, Sabrewing Aircraft Co, and Elroy Air. Natilus differentiates through its proprietary BWB design and the Diamond cargo bay, which addresses volume utilization issues that have historically limited BWB airframes. The company has raised $30 million from investors including Draper Associates, Starship Ventures, and Flexport.