LIFT Aircraft

Name

LIFT Aircraft

Legal name

LIFT Aircraft Inc.

Website

https://liftaircraft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Aircraft

NAICS

Aircraft Manufacturing (336411), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641)

SIC

Aircraft (3721), Aircraft & Parts (3720)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric & Hybrid-Electric Propulsion (eVTOL/Regional) (IMABADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Air Taxi & Urban Air Mobility (eVTOL) Operators (TLAFAAAD)

Keywords

• Electric vertical takeoff aircraft
• EVTOL flying experience
• Ultralight personal aviation
• Distributed electric propulsion
• Aerial medical logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Pay-Per-Flight Experience: Customers pay per flight session for the HEXA flying experience. The Introductory Flight Experience ($199) includes 2-hour training, VR simulator, and 3-5 minute flight. Beginner Flights ($249) include training and 8-15 minutes of flight. Optional Video Package ($99) adds professional HD video capture of the flight.
2. Government/Defense Contracts: LIFT Aircraft generates revenue through US government contracts including Air Force Agility Prime SBIR contracts (Phase 2 and Phase 3) and Army Applications Laboratory SPARTN contracts for autonomous medical logistics and cargo applications. These contracts fund flight testing, use case development, and specialized payload development.
3. Video Package Add-On: Optional $99 add-on to capture the flight experience from multiple camera angles, delivered as a beautifully edited HD video on a custom flash drive.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LIFT Aircraft designs, manufactures, and operates the HEXA family of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft — an 18-motor multirotor classified as a Powered Ultralight under FAA Part 103. The company delivers HEXA-powered flying experiences through company-owned Experience Centers (pay-per-flight, no pilot's license required), and sells flight testing, R&D, and specialized cargo/medical payload aircraft platforms to US Department of Defense and international government customers.

Product overview

LIFT Aircraft offers a family of eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft based on a unified HEXA airframe architecture, available through experiential entertainment venues rather than direct sale. The product line spans three regulatory tiers: HEXA-U (Ultralight, Part 103) for recreational use without a pilot's license, HEXA-S (Sport, MOSAIC LSA) for trained pilots with expanded operational capabilities, and HEXA-C (Type Certified) for full commercial air taxi and autonomous operations. All variants share the core 18-motor distributed electric propulsion platform, amphibious design with floats, and semi-autonomous flight controls. The experience business model provides pay-per-flight access through LIFT Experience Centers, offering VR simulator training and guided flight experiences starting at $199. The company also offers the HEXA Cargo Platform for military and defense logistics applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HEXA: The flagship eVTOL aircraft product line of LIFT Aircraft, including HEXA-U (Ultralight), HEXA-S (Sport/LSA), and HEXA-C (Type Certified) editions.
• HEXA 2

Products and services

• HEXA eVTOL Aircraft Family The flagship electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft family. HEXA-U operates under 14 CFR Part 103 with no pilot's license, lightweight 10 kWh battery packs, and amphibious floats. HEXA-S targets MOSAIC Light Sport Aircraft regulations, requires a pilot's license, with fixed skids, up to 90 mph, and extended range 20 kWh batteries for 25-minute flights. HEXA-C is undergoing full FAA Type Certification for high-frequency commercial use, unmanned and autonomous operations, and air taxi services with 30 kWh Long Range batteries enabling up to 40-minute flight times in instrument/IFR weather conditions.
• HEXA 2 Aircraft Upgrade Major upgrade to the HEXA aircraft platform featuring custom 200A Electronic Speed Controllers with field oriented control (FOC), larger 42-inch carbon fiber propellers with winglets, an upgraded 3x redundant autopilot, and improved sensors. Delivers 33% increase in max thrust, up to 20% increase in flight time, and 15-25% noise reduction versus the prior HEXA generation. ESCs are IP64 weatherized for precipitation operation.
• HEXA 2 Extended Range (ER) Extended range variant of HEXA 2 with breakthrough extended range battery packs using the latest lithium battery chemistries offering up to twice the energy density, enabling up to 30 minutes of flight time.
• HEXA Cargo Platform (Modular Medical Payload Variant) Defense-oriented modular cargo platform variant of HEXA developed for the US Army Applications Laboratory SPARTN program. Designed to transport modular medical payloads including blood supply and casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) with climate control and telemedicine capabilities, supporting autonomous aerial and ground platform deployment.
• Pay-Per-Flight HEXA Experience Bookable experiential flying service delivered at LIFT Experience Centers, the world's first pay-per-flight eVTOL consumer experience. Each session includes 2 hours of ground instruction, VR flight simulator training, and an actual solo flight under instructor guidance — no pilot's license required. Available as Introductory ($199, 3–5 minute flight) and Beginner ($249, 8–15 minute flight) tiers, with an optional $99 HD Video Package add-on.
• LIFT Groups & Events Experience Group-oriented variant of the HEXA flying experience designed for corporate events, private celebrations, and team building. Groups can fly together, communicate via intercom, fly in autonomous formations, and race through augmented reality courses. Sold through a custom event inquiry form rather than per-seat pricing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10x safer than general aviation aircraft
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Marubeni Corporation / Marubeni AerospaceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2025LIFT Aircraft partnered with Marubeni and Marubeni Aerospace for Japan market development and World Expo 2025 demonstration. Marubeni CSO Tomomichi Mizuno witnessed the historic HEXA flight demonstration at Expo. Partnership aims to bring personal flight experiences to Japan with planned flight operations launching summer 2025.
• Near Earth AutonomycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024LIFT Aircraft partnered with Near Earth Autonomy for US Army Applications Laboratory SPARTN contract to develop autonomous modular medical payload for blood delivery and casualty evacuation (CASEVAC). Near Earth brings history of autonomous aerial systems for medical logistics including Army Combat Medic program and Project Crimson. Partnership addresses Army's 'golden hour' challenge for battlefield medical support.
• US Army Applications LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Awarded SPARTN program contract by US Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) to design autonomous blood delivery and CASEVAC system. Contract is part of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding designed to move at speed of business with reduced time to contract and payment. MAJ Rickey Royal stated Army identified significant need for modular, multi-mission payload with climate control and telemedicine capabilities.
• GMO Internet GroupminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 March 2023GMO Internet Group participated in LIFT Aircraft's first-ever piloted eVTOL demonstrations in Japan. Masatoshi Kumagai of GMO Internet Group piloted HEXA, successfully completing three flight patterns after approximately one hour of training.
• US Air Force / Agility PrimeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020LIFT Aircraft was selected for Air Force Agility Prime initiative in April 2020, receiving $2.5M flight test contract for envelope expansion. Progressed to Phase 3 contract for continued experimentation and use case development including flight testing at Eglin AFB. Air Force provides unmatched expertise, testing resources, and early military application opportunities through this dual-use technology partnership.
• Agility Prime Test Team / USAFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2019LIFT has worked with Air Force subject matter experts under Phase 2 SBIR contract since 2020, achieving military airworthiness approval (military flight release), proving transportability via C-130, and exploring multitude of potential use-cases including emergency first response, personnel transport, base logistics, and search and rescue.
• iFLY Indoor SkydivingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 December 2018iFLY founder Alan Metni provided endorsement quote: 'LIFT is doing for flying what iFLY has done with skydiving - making an expensive and inaccessible experience available to everyone.' Metni's endorsement is displayed on LIFT's website as social proof for the business model.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wisk Aero: Boeing-backed autonomous eVTOL developer pursuing self-flying air taxi service. Overlaps with LIFT's autonomous flight capabilities (HEXA Cargo Platform, Near Earth Autonomy partnership) and targets the same urban air mobility market.
• EHang: Chinese autonomous eVTOL developer with type-certified passenger and logistics aircraft already operating in China. Closest competitor in autonomous passenger eVTOL and an emerging threat in international markets where LIFT is expanding via Marubeni.
• Eve Air Mobility: Embraer subsidiary developing the Eve eVTOL with thousands of pre-orders from operators and lessors. Direct competitor in the commercial air taxi space, leveraging Embraer's aerospace manufacturing scale that LIFT lacks.
• Joby Aviation: Joby is the most-funded eVTOL air taxi developer (NYSE: JOBY), pursuing FAA Type Certification of a 4-seat tilt-rotor eVTOL for commercial passenger service. Direct competitor to LIFT's planned HEXA-C, though operating in a higher passenger-capacity / longer-range segment.
• Archer Aviation: Archer is developing a 4-seat tilt-rotor eVTOL (Midnight) for urban air taxi service with United Airlines as a launch customer. Competitor in the eventual commercial eVTOL air taxi market that LIFT targets with HEXA-C.
• Volocopter: German eVTOL developer of the multi-rotor VoloCity air taxi and VoloDrone cargo platform. Closest direct architectural analog to HEXA (multirotor, distributed electric propulsion) and competitor in both urban air taxi and autonomous cargo markets.
• Beta Technologies: Vermont-based eVTOL developer of the Alia aircraft with both passenger and cargo variants, focused on medical logistics and military/defense customers. Direct overlap with LIFT's Army CASEVAC/Cargo positioning and Part 103-adjacent early commercial strategy.
• Lilium: German eVTOL developer of the Lilium Jet (ducted-fan, 7-seat) targeting regional air mobility. Competes for the same commercial air taxi TAM that LIFT's HEXA-C would address once certified.

Others

• Near Earth Autonomy: LIFT's partner on the US Army SPARTN CASEVAC contract, providing autonomous flight technology. Comparable as an enabling technology player in autonomous eVTOL logistics and a partner (rather than competitor) for LIFT's defense cargo roadmap.
• iFLY Indoor Skydiving: Experiential entertainment franchise explicitly invoked by LIFT's founder Alan Metni endorsement as the business model analog ('LIFT is doing for flying what iFLY has done with skydiving'). Closest comparable in pay-per-experience recreational entertainment scaling, though not an aircraft manufacturer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/LIFTAircraft
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKSlmnSltW2MYWQIr1w78FQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/LIFTAircraft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lift-aircraft
• Instagraminstagram.com/liftaircraft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LIFT Aircraft