DEXA
DEXA is a Dayton, Ohio-based autonomous drone logistics company providing B2B last-mile delivery services using its proprietary FAA-certified DE-2020 aircraft, partnering with enterprise brands like Kroger, Papa Johns, and Grubhub/Wonder to operate rapid 2.5-mile radius deliveries across multiple U.S. markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersDayton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What DEXA does
DEXA is a Dayton, Ohio-based autonomous drone logistics company founded in 2021 that provides last-mile delivery services through a fleet of proprietary DE-2020 fully automated aircraft. The company designs and manufactures its drones in-house in the United States, featuring a controlled tether landing system that enables deliveries without the aircraft needing to land. DEXA holds all three FAA certifications required for commercial drone operations in the U.S.—Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate, Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) waiver, and inclusion on the Secretary of Transportation's S-1 List—making it one of only four FAA-certified integrated drone operators and manufacturers in the country.
The company's business model is a B2B enterprise drone-delivery-as-a-service with two primary revenue streams: transaction-based per-delivery fees and managed services under long-term strategic partnerships. DEXA partners with major restaurant chains, retailers, food delivery platforms, and wholesale distributors—including Kroger, Papa Johns, Grubhub/Wonder, Winsupply, Microsoft, and All The Best Delicatessen—to integrate autonomous drone delivery into their existing operations. The service operates within a 2.5-mile radius from deployment locations and achieves average delivery times of approximately four minutes. Active pilots are currently running in Dayton OH, Centerville OH, Green Brook NJ, and Winston-Salem NC, with programs structured as 3-month trials prior to evaluation for expansion.
DEXA's go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales with embedded integrations via partner platforms (notably Grubhub), targeting local restaurants, grocery retailers, and wholesale distributors that struggle to match the logistics capabilities of major e-commerce players. The company has raised approximately $7.75M in disclosed funding across 2021-2023, plus two undisclosed rounds in 2024 and 2025 led by G2A Investment Partners and Venture 53. Beth Flippo serves as CEO; Joe Houghton is COO. The company remains pre-commercial at scale, with pilots offered at no incremental cost to end consumers as it validates unit economics and secures regulatory and operational proof points.
DEXA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DEXA
- Legal name
- Dexa
- Website
- https://droneexpress.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DEXA is a Dayton, Ohio-based autonomous drone logistics company providing B2B last-mile delivery services using its proprietary FAA-certified DE-2020 aircraft, partnering with enterprise brands like Kroger, Papa Johns, and Grubhub/Wonder to operate rapid 2.5-mile radius deliveries across multiple U.S. markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DEXA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Autonomous Drone Delivery Logistics
- NAICS
- Couriers and Express Delivery Services (492110), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)
- SIC
- Air Courier Services (4513)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Courier, Parcel & Last‑Mile Delivery Platforms (BPAMAHAD)
Keywords
Where DEXA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dayton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
DEXA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Drone Delivery Services: DEXA provides autonomous drone delivery as a service to enterprise partners. Revenue is generated through commercial delivery agreements with restaurants, retailers, and food delivery platforms. During the Grubhub pilot, delivery was offered at no additional cost beyond standard fees, suggesting either a per-delivery fee structure or value demonstration phase.
- Enterprise/Strategic Partnerships: Long-term strategic partnerships with enterprise customers like Kroger, Papa Johns, Winsupply, and Wonder for ongoing drone delivery services across multiple markets
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Enterprise delivery service pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
DEXA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DEXA provides autonomous drone delivery services for last-mile logistics using its proprietary DE-2020 fully automated aircraft. The company operates a managed delivery network within approximately 2.5-mile radii, enabling enterprise partners such as restaurants, grocery chains, and food delivery platforms to offer deliveries that complete in around four minutes. DEXA holds full FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Certification, BVLOS authorization, and S-1 List inclusion, making it one of only four fully integrated FAA-certified drone operators and manufacturers in the United States.
Product overview
Dexa offers a unified autonomous drone delivery platform centered on its proprietary DE-2020 drone aircraft and managed delivery network. The company provides end-to-end last-mile logistics solutions, operating as one of only four FAA-certified integrated drone operators and manufacturers in the U.S. Services include BVLOS drone operations, automated delivery within 2.5-mile radii, and tether-based landing systems. The platform targets local businesses seeking to compete with major online retailers through faster, more cost-effective delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dexa Drone Delivery Service Managed autonomous drone delivery network for last-mile logistics, integrating into enterprise partners' operations to deliver food, groceries, and packages within a 2.5-mile radius with average delivery times of approximately 4 minutes.
- DE-2020 Autonomous Delivery Drone Proprietary fully automated delivery aircraft designed and manufactured in the USA, featuring a tether-based precision landing system, FAA Part 135 Air Carrier certification, and BVLOS operational capability for autonomous last-mile delivery.
Quantifiable outcome
- Average delivery time of approximately 4 minutes
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use DEXA
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
DEXA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature4 records
DEXA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- All The Best DelicatessenminorDayton-based deli partnered with DEXA to complete Ohio's first commercial food drone delivery, successfully transporting a boxed lunch approximately 0.75 miles each way, demonstrating drone logistics in everyday suburban retail corridors.
- GrubhubcoreGrubhub integrated DEXA's drone delivery service into its platform for the Wonder multi-restaurant model pilot in Green Brook, New Jersey. The three-month pilot allows Grubhub customers within 2.5 miles to select drone delivery at no additional cost. This represents DEXA's entry into the food delivery platform channel.
- WondercoreWonder, parent company of Grubhub and operator of multi-restaurant food halls, partnered with DEXA for drone food delivery from its Green Brook, NJ location. Wonder's 100+ U.S. locations provide significant expansion potential for DEXA's delivery network.
- KrogercoreKroger partnered with DEXA for pilot drone delivery in Centerville, Ohio as part of Kroger's strategy to provide customers with 'anything, anytime, anywhere' delivery options. This partnership demonstrates DEXA's capability in grocery delivery.
- Papa Johns PizzacorePapa Johns partnered with DEXA to test autonomous drone pizza delivery, aiming to deliver better experiences for customers through faster delivery options compatible with different lifestyles and occasions.
- Winsupply Inc.minorWinsupply, a wholesale distribution company serving contractors, partnered with DEXA to explore rapid delivery of construction supplies using drone technology, potentially delivering missing items to job sites in minutes.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
DEXA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Zipline: Zipline is one of the only other U.S. companies holding all three FAA certifications for commercial drone operations, alongside DEXA, Amazon, and Wing. It operates long-range autonomous drone delivery for medical supplies and retail goods, making it a direct comparable in FAA-certified drone logistics.
- Wing (Alphabet): Wing, an Alphabet subsidiary, is one of DEXA's three fellow fully FAA-certified drone delivery operators. It runs commercial drone delivery pilots for food and small packages in the U.S. and Australia, directly overlapping DEXA's enterprise food/grocery delivery model.
- Amazon Prime Air: Amazon Prime Air is the third fully FAA-certified drone delivery operator in DEXA's peer group. It pursues autonomous last-mile package delivery using its own proprietary aircraft, mirroring DEXA's vertical integration of hardware and operations.
- Flytrex: Flytrex operates autonomous drone delivery for restaurant and grocery orders in the U.S., with active pilots in Texas and North Carolina. It targets the same suburban food-delivery use cases as DEXA via partnerships with chains like Little Caesars and Walmart.
- DroneUp: DroneUp provides drone delivery services for retail and logistics customers and previously partnered with Walmart for last-mile delivery. It is a comparable U.S.-based drone delivery operator with overlapping enterprise customer profiles.
- Matternet: Matternet builds and operates autonomous drone delivery networks primarily for hospital logistics and pharmaceuticals. It shares DEXA's vertically integrated approach (own aircraft + operations) and FAA-certified commercial drone status.
Emerging players
- Manna Aero: Manna Aero operates autonomous drone delivery for food and small goods in suburban Europe (Ireland, Finland), with FAA-equivalent regulatory approvals abroad. Its technology, aircraft design, and use cases are highly comparable to DEXA's, though geographically distinct.
- Starship Technologies: Starship operates autonomous ground-delivery robots for food and small packages across university campuses and suburban neighborhoods. It targets similar last-mile use cases as DEXA with a different delivery modality.
Broad incumbents
- Nuro: Nuro develops autonomous ground-based delivery vehicles and has scaled last-mile delivery partnerships with major retailers. While it uses ground rather than air, it competes for the same enterprise last-mile delivery contracts DEXA is pursuing.
- Workhorse Group: Workhorse Group has developed commercial delivery drones (HorseFly) for last-mile logistics in partnership with parcel and food delivery operators. It is a U.S. drone hardware and systems provider competing in the same enterprise delivery market as DEXA.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DEXA social profiles
Digital presenceDEXA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
DEXA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DEXA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
DEXA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DEXA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DEXA
What does DEXA do?
DEXA provides autonomous drone delivery services for last-mile logistics using its proprietary DE-2020 fully automated aircraft. The company operates a managed delivery network within approximately 2.5-mile radii, enabling enterprise partners such as restaurants, grocery chains, and food delivery platforms to offer deliveries that complete in around four minutes. DEXA holds full FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Certification, BVLOS authorization, and S-1 List inclusion, making it one of only four fully integrated FAA-certified drone operators and manufacturers in the United States.
Is DEXA a public or private company?
DEXA is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was DEXA founded?
DEXA was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DEXA based?
DEXA is headquartered in Dayton, United States, in the North America region.
How does DEXA make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Drone Delivery Services are the primary driver. The others are enterprise/Strategic Partnerships.
Who are DEXA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Zipline, Wing (Alphabet), Amazon Prime Air, Flytrex, DroneUp and Matternet. Emerging players are Manna Aero and Starship Technologies. Broad incumbents are Nuro and Workhorse Group.
Does DEXA have an API?
No public API is recorded for DEXA.
What industry is DEXA in?
DEXA's product category is Autonomous Drone Delivery Logistics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAHAD, Courier, Parcel & Last‑Mile Delivery Platforms. Its NAICS code is 492110 and its SIC code is 4513.