- ByStartupStory | January 16, 2025
Flying taxi startup Sarla Aviation has raised $10 million in Series A1 funding, marking a significant step toward transforming transportation in India. The funding round was led by Accel and saw participation from an impressive lineup of angel investors, including Binny Bansal, Nikhil Kamath, Sriharsha Majety (Swiggy), Abhiraj Singh Bhal (Urban Company), Abhishek Goyal (Tracxn), Ramakant Sharma (LivSpace), Sujeet Kumar (Udaan), Manish Agarwal (Kratos), and Sandeep Nailwal (Polygon).
The funds will accelerate Sarla Aviation’s efforts to offer affordable, efficient, and sustainable air mobility solutions to address India’s growing transportation challenges.
Adrian Schmidt, Co-Founder and CEO of Sarla Aviation, emphasized the company’s vision: “Our flying taxis are not just about enabling instant and affordable air mobility—they represent a bold step toward unlocking India’s true economic potential and solving for critical bottlenecks to our productivity like traffic congestion and pollution.
With the support of our investors, we are accelerating the development of our technology, expanding our team, and establishing a state-of-the-art R&D center. Our first priority is to build a mass mobility system that serves and enables India like cars once transformed and enabled the United States.”
Sarla Aviation plans to unveil its first flying taxi prototype on January 17, 2025, during the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 in New Delhi, aiming for a commercial market launch by 2028. Its hybrid-lift-and-cruise eVTOL design is set to redefine the air mobility sector, offering the highest payload capacity in the market.
With the ability to carry up to 680 kg, Sarla’s flying taxis allow 35% more passengers per flight at four times lower ticket prices compared to Western competitors. This innovation could set a new global standard for urban transportation.
Pratik Agarwal, Principal at Accel, praised the company’s approach: “Their emphasis on cost economics and reliability could make them a blueprint for other rapidly urbanizing regions worldwide.”
In addition to urban transportation, Sarla Aviation is prioritizing social impact. The company plans to launch a free-of-cost air ambulance service to address the urgent need for rapid medical response across India.
Founded in 2024 by Adrian Schmidt, Rakesh Gaonkar, and Shivam Chauhan, Sarla Aviation is poised to redefine how India moves, creating a future where air mobility becomes a viable and sustainable option for the masses.
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