Relentless How Zipline Scaled to 2 Million Drone Deliveries | Keller Cliffton
Dec 29, 2025
Keller Cliffton, the co-founder and CEO of Zipline, shares his journey of revolutionizing delivery with drone logistics. He recounts the unique decision to launch in Rwanda, navigating regulatory challenges while saving lives. Cliffton discusses the scrappy beginnings of Zipline and iterative prototypes like Snapcatch. He highlights the impact of local hiring on community health and provides insights on scaling safely in the U.S. with a focus on real-world challenges and customer needs. Cliffton’s mission-oriented mindset illustrates how Zipline reshapes consumer behavior.
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Built On A Ranch With Construction Trailers
- Keller describes starting Zipline on a cattle ranch with construction trailers and sleeping on couches while flying prototypes daily.
- The scrappy environment shaped hiring and culture, attracting people who liked hands-on, risky work.
Fishing Poles Built A Critical Prototype
- The founders prototyped an aircraft arrestor using deep-sea fishing poles from Walmart to catch planes.
- That crude test led to Snapcatch, still used to recover millions of aircraft reliably.
Rwanda Told Them: 'Just Do Blood'
- The Rwandan Minister of Health told Keller to 'just do blood' after a maternal death due to delayed blood delivery.
- That narrow mission unlocked regulatory willingness and a focused first contract of 21 hospitals.