Bertin Irakoze

🇷🇼| The nexus between infrastructure; technology and sustainability.

[Keller Cliffton @Keller]

I woke up at 2am with @maggiemjim and Israel Bimpe on our Rwanda team to give Bono a digital tour of our distribution center. I was living on Stanford campus in a 400 sqft apt at the time (free housing!). Bono joined Zipline’s board. Israel went from being a pharmacist to being the CEO of Irembo, reporting to President Kagame (!)

[Keller Cliffton @Keller]

Looking back at old pictures, some memories stand out. When we started operations in 2016, the President of Rwanda showed up to launch the first aircraft. What he didn’t know was that the system had been totally bricked the prior two weeks. When he launched the Zip and it flew off over the horizon, I distinctly remember thinking “that’s the last we’ll see of that aircraft”. I tried to not act shocked when it miraculously returned and landed 30 min later.

[Keller Cliffton @Keller]

Today, Zipline raised $1.5b at a $21.5b valuation.

When we started Zipline, flying autonomously in the US was illegal. Which made it really hard to convince investors to give us money! But we were too naive to think that meant we shouldn’t try.

We started the company on a cow farm. We worked out of run-down construction trailers so that we could keep engineering, manufacturing, and flight test all unified and in one place. Hiring people from normal companies like Google was hard because we didn’t have a cafe or laundry service. But enough risk takers and rebels wanted to go on an insane adventure with us. They became the early team.

We decided to launch in smaller countries and focus on life-saving use cases. We hired incredible entrepreneurs and operators in Rwanda, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, and other countries. For eight years, Zipline expanded our service across Africa, serving thousands of hospitals and health facilities and reducing maternal mortality by 51%. Today, the network saves over 14k lives every year and is cash flow positive.

Last year, Zipline launched at scale in the US and the service exploded. We grew flight volumes about 100x over the last 18 months, and now make more than a million deliveries a year per metro. We’re now expanding with our partners to millions of deliveries per day. Normal families love having access to anything they need in 10-20 minutes, no matter where they live. Spend more time with loved ones and less time worrying about errands.

Zipline builds drone delivery that is silent and safe. No one wants to hear an extremely loud “swarm of bees” delivering to their backyard or their neighbor’s. Automated delivery needs to be insanely quiet, which guided the overall architecture of our technology delivering from 330 ft in the air. We are 6 times quieter than the closest competitor during delivery. Zipline also now has over 150m commercial autonomous miles (10x the rest of the industry combined) and no safety incidents. Neighborhoods should demand silent and safe delivery!

Today, Zipline is announcing two things. First, we just signed the largest autonomous vehicle contract in human history to expand automated delivery nationally with Walmart, our first and biggest partner in the US. We’re starting by scaling to 300 supercenters throughout the country. Second, we’ve raised $1.5b at a $21.5b valuation from existing and new investors, led by Paradigm, WCM, and Layer.

Zipline was a hard company to believe in for the first ten years of our history. Investors didn’t think the company was “investable”. Most people didn’t even think Zipline was an economic venture. Thanks to those who have rooted for us along the way. To all of the tens of millions of customers and families who rely on Zipline day in and day out: thank you for helping us build the future. Zipline has grown more than @ryanzip, @keenanwyrobek, I, and all others at the company could have imagined.

There is a big opportunity to build a new layer of infrastructure for humanity over the coming years. We want to approximate teleportation. We can build a logistics network that connects and serves all people on earth. We can free human flourishing from the choking constraint of traffic and roads. There are no roads where we’re going. 🚀🌎

[Formula 1 @F1]

We're heading back to Africa 🌍

Celebrating the excitement and spirit of connection with our host nation, Rwanda, through a special poem by Malaika Uwamahoro, featuring Naomi Schiff

#F1

[BANAMWANA Hoffman Prince @prince_hoffman]

Uwubatse iyi nzu wamuha amanota angahe kw'icumi?

n'aka repost sinakanga.
Mrakoze

Agency: @QuickRwanda

[Lonzen Rugira @LonzenRugira]

As a Jew yourself, during Holocaust Commemoration do you remember all those German lives lost during World War 2?

Why don’t you call it commemoration of WW2 violence?

@AIPAC

[Arielle Kayabaga 🇨🇦 @KayabagaArielle]

Deeply disappointing to see the level of racism exhibited by CNN here, I can’t imagine a world where a nazi would be invited on CNN while people are commemorating and remembering their loved ones but this is what Rwandans are subjected to still 30 years later.. Shame on you @CNN

[Billy Graham @BillyGraham]

"To suffer for the faith is not a penalty; it is a privilege." #BillyGraham

[Bertin Irakoze @irakoze_bertin]

@YvesCastanou It was a huge blessing

[Billy Graham @BillyGraham]

"A life touched by the Holy Spirit will tolerate sin no longer." #BillyGraham

[Vala Afshar @ValaAfshar]

A fun way to develop healthier habits for others

[Vala Afshar @ValaAfshar]

Artists in Kenya turn old sandals into colorful works of art

[Babu Owino @HEBabuOwino]

Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud.

[Paris Saint-Germain @PSG_English]

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐊𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐈𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲!!!

The Kwita Izina ceremony will take place today, where our legend @jpsorin6 will have the honor of naming a baby gorilla, thanks to @visitrwanda_now 🇷🇼🦍

The players will tell you a little more about the importance of nickname 😅

[Zalas Kay @zalaskay84]

What a nice song😍😍😍 @isatitou @FabRugumire @Rugusuki @MissPK2 @albcontact guys enjoy it arafu wenye wivu wajinyonge

[Bertin Irakoze @irakoze_bertin]

@JCNdayishimye @CIMERWAPPC @Regis_Rugema Well done @Regis_Rugema

[🇷🇼 Jean-Claude | NDAYISHIMYE @JCNdayishimye]

Umuyobozi w'Inama y'ubutegetsi ya @CIMERWAPPC, @Regis_Rugema avuga ko mu myaka 3 ishize uru ruganda rutagikorera mu gihombo.

[Billy Graham @BillyGraham]

“Those who have actually experienced daily fellowship with Christ know that it surpasses all worldly activities.” #BillyGraham

[Bertin Irakoze @irakoze_bertin]

@uwa_Yesu @uwa_Yesu congrats Engineer

[Steve Harvey @IAmSteveHarvey]

The Law of Attraction is ALWAYS working, whether you believe it is or not. #SteveOnWatch @SteveTVShow @facebookapp