---
title: "Why Passerine Aircraft shut down"
description: "Passerine Aircraft, founded by Wits University alumnus Matthew Whalley to build electric delivery drones using a novel \"jumping\" takeoff mechanism, went through Y Combinator with $120,000 in funding and publicly demonstrated its prototype at Drone Con 2018, but shut down around March 2020. No public statement detailing the exact cause was found, though hardware-intensive drone development requiring capital beyond the initial YC funding is cited as a likely factor."
canonical_url: "https://liners.com/graveyard/passerine-aircraft"
markdown_url: "https://liners.com/graveyard/passerine-aircraft.md"
type: "graveyard"
language: "en"
image: "/graveyard/passerine-aircraft/certificate.png"
published_at: "2026-07-31T17:41:07.836Z"
updated_at: "2026-07-31T17:41:07.836Z"
---

# Why Passerine Aircraft shut down

Passerine Aircraft, founded by Wits University alumnus Matthew Whalley to build electric delivery drones using a novel "jumping" takeoff mechanism, went through Y Combinator with $120,000 in funding and publicly demonstrated its prototype at Drone Con 2018, but shut down around March 2020. No public statement detailing the exact cause was found, though hardware-intensive drone development requiring capital beyond the initial YC funding is cited as a likely factor.

## Breadcrumbs

- [Graveyard](/graveyard)
- [Passerine Aircraft](/graveyard/passerine-aircraft)

## Summary

Here lies Passerine Aircraft. It built electric delivery drones that leapt into the air on a novel jumping launch, shown off at Drone Con 2018. But hardware this ambitious needs capital well past a first cheque, none came, and by 2020 the jump never became sustained flight.

Passerine Aircraft, founded by Wits University alumnus Matthew Whalley to build electric delivery drones using a novel "jumping" takeoff mechanism, went through Y Combinator with $120,000 in funding and publicly demonstrated its prototype at Drone Con 2018, but shut down around March 2020. No public statement detailing the exact cause was found, though hardware-intensive drone development requiring capital beyond the initial YC funding is cited as a likely factor.

## Product history

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Fate | ShutDown |
| Primary cause | FundingRunway |
| Stage at shutdown | Seed |
| Lifespan in days | 1155 |

## Autopsy report

## What the product attempted

Passerine Aircraft developed electric-powered delivery drones using a novel jumping-launch mechanism to achieve flight, demonstrated publicly at Drone Con 2018.

## What worked

Went through Y Combinator and raised $120,000 in seed funding; built and publicly demonstrated a working jumping-drone prototype at Drone Con 2018.

## What happened

After building and showcasing its jumping-drone technology, Passerine Aircraft's public activity stopped; its website and social channels went inactive, and it is listed as shut down/inactive on Y Combinator's site as of around March 2020. No public statement on the specific cause was found, and the company does not appear to have raised funding beyond its initial YC round.

## Sources

- [Failed Startups](https://todayafrica.co/failed-startups/?ref=startupgraveyard.africa): Today Africa
- [Passerine Aircraft (YC)](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/1579): Y Combinator
- [The story of how Wits alumnus Matthew Whalley founded Passerine](https://www.wits.ac.za/events-archive/2018/jumping-into-the-future.php): Wits University

## Related pages

- [Passerine Aircraft alternatives](/passerine-aircraft/alternatives)
- [Liners Graveyard](/graveyard)

## Access and citation

- [Canonical HTML page](https://liners.com/graveyard/passerine-aircraft)
- [Markdown route index](/sitemap.md)
- [Agent access guide](/llms.txt)