Autonomous flight startup Reliable Robotics tops US$1 billion valuation and opens a radar hub in Bothell

Reliable Robotics, the Mountain View, Calif., company developing autonomous flight systems for existing aircraft, said on Tuesday it has raised US$115 million, pushing its valuation above US$1 billion, TechCrunch and GeekWire reported. The financing extends its Series D, which now totals US$275 million, and includes US$90 million in equity led by Nimble Partners and a US$25 million term loan from Silicon Valley Bank. The company has raised US$380 million to date.

Reliable is also opening a Radar Center of Excellence in the Bothell Highlands north of Seattle. The office will start with about 25 employees and develop and test systems that help aircraft detect and avoid other aircraft, including an active electronically scanned array air-to-air radar. The company is recruiting in the region for radar, embedded software, flight controls, guidance and navigation, simulation and systems engineering roles.

“Seattle represents the past, present and future of aviation,” said Chris Schulenberg, Reliable’s vice president of programs, who will lead the Bothell office with Marc Pos, a senior technical fellow who spent more than two decades at Honeywell. “By expanding into the Pacific Northwest, Reliable is uniting the tech talent in Silicon Valley with the aviation expertise of Seattle.”

Founded in 2017 by former SpaceX engineers, the 250-person company is building systems that automate engine start, taxi, takeoff and landing, initially with a pilot still in the cockpit, and is working toward Federal Aviation Administration certification. It also plans to expand engineering in San Diego for military autonomy work, giving it five locations including its subsidiary airline’s hub in Albuquerque, N.M.