TechEagle Partners Apollo Hospitals To Offer 10-Minute Diagnostic Drone Delivery

Healthcare major Apollo Hospitals has reportedly partnered with drone tech startup TechEagle to launch a 10-minute diagnostic drone delivery service. 

As per BW Healthcare World, the hospital chain operator will leverage TechEagle’s AI-powered autonomous drones to transport liquid biopsy samples, necessary to detect cancer, from collection centers to diagnostic laboratories within 10 minutes.

The new service was reportedly launched by Apollo Hospitals’ joint managing director Sangita Reddy at an event in New Delhi. As per the report, the offering has been envisaged with transporting samples in a faster, safer, and more efficient manner while addressing critical delays in diagnostics and treatment.

Commenting on the partnership, TechEagle cofounder and CEO Vikram Singh Meena said, “With TechEagle’s AI-powered drones, Apollo Hospitals ensures that liquid biopsy samples—essential for early cancer detection—reach labs in just 10 minutes. The healthcare industry deserves the same speed and efficiency as consumer logistics, and we’re making that a reality”.

“Drone-based healthcare delivery has been successful in African nations. This is just the beginning—drones can be used for organ transport, emergency medical deliveries, and much more. The future of healthcare is faster, safer, and more efficient,” Reddy reportedly said. 

Founded in 2017 by IIT-Kanpur alumni Meena and Anshu Abhishek, TechEagle is a drone logistics startup that offers on-demand autonomous drone delivery for its clients. Its flagship product is Vertiplane X3, which claims to have a 100 km single-flight range, a payload capacity of 5 kg and a speed of up to 120 km per hour. 

With a focus on last-mile logistics in urban and semi-urban areas, the startup primarily operates in the beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations segment. 

In May 2024, the startup raised an undisclosed amount of capital in a round co-led by Navam Capital and Inflection Point Ventures. TechEagle claims to have so far serviced names such as AIIMS, multiple state governments, Swiggy, Vodafone-Idea (Vi) and the World Bank.

The development comes amid healthy developments in the Indian drone tech space. Just a day ago, listed drone maker DroneAcharya received the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) type certification for its multipurpose drone, AgriVeer.

Earlier this month, another listed drone tech company ideaForge announced plans to infuse $1.83 Mn in US-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing company Vantage Robotics to acquire a minority stake. In February itself, Bengaluru-based drone battery solutions provider Dreamfly Innovations also bagged $1.4 Mn as a part of its seed round led by Avaana Capital.