The most dangerous job in commercial aviation isn't flying passengers. It's crop dusting, where pilots skim treetops in a haze of chemicals. Pyka, a company in a historic Alameda hangar, decided to start there. Its wedge is simple: send the plane, not the pilot.
Since 2017, the company has been building fully autonomous, electric fixed-wing aircraft designed for work too dull, dirty, or dangerous for humans. They certified their first spray plane in New Zealand in 2019 [flypyka.com]. In 2022, they secured another first from the FAA: approval for commercial night spraying missions [Pyka press release, Oct 2022].
A regulatory wedge in a hazardous niche
While much of the electric aviation world chases passenger routes, Pyka's founders, including CEO Michael Norcia, built their initial business case around agricultural spraying. The job is high-value and high-risk, the flight patterns are repetitive, and the regulatory path for autonomous operations outside crowded airspace is simpler. They used this niche to build a track record with aviation authorities.
Their flagship Pelican Spray aircraft is now authorized for commercial operation across the U.S. [Revolution.aero, Feb 2025]. In August 2024, Heinen Brothers Agra Services became the first announced U.S. customer for the spray plane [Pyka press release, Aug 2024]. The company has also completed trials with Dole plc and signed a letter of intent with Latin American group Grupo HAME [PRNewswire].
From chemicals to cargo
In 2022, Pyka pivoted a passenger plane concept to create the Pelican Cargo, a variant built to carry 400 pounds up to 200 miles [TechCrunch, Sep 2024]. The market is short-haul logistics, particularly for island communities or remote areas where road infrastructure is poor.
Traction is measured in pre-commitments and partnerships. The company reported over 80 orders and options from three launch customers in early 2023 [Revolution.aero, Jan 2023]. Skyports Drone Services is a launch customer for the cargo variant [Military Aerospace]. A firm order for 60 Pelican aircraft from Synerjet was announced in July 2025 [flypyka.com press release, Jul 2025].
The team and the $85 million scale-up
Founded by Michael Norcia, Chuma Ogunwole, Kyle Moore, and Nathan White, Pyka has grown to a team of about 75 people [Y Combinator]. It has raised approximately $85 million across a seed round in 2019, a $37 million Series A in 2022, and a $40 million Series B in September 2024 [TechCrunch, Sep 2024]. The investor list includes Obvious Ventures, Prelude Ventures, and Prime Movers Lab.
| Round | Amount |
|---|---|
| 2019 Seed | $8M |
| 2022 Series A | $37M |
| 2024 Series B | $40M |
Where the flight path gets turbulent
Scaling manufacturing of complex aircraft is a capital-intensive slog with thin margins at low volumes. The agricultural aviation market is not enormous, and the cargo market pits Pyka against established players in regional logistics. The company's answer is a dual-track strategy and a focus on unit economics. Defense interest, via a U.S. Air Force contract and a partnership with Sierra Nevada Corporation, provides a third, deep-pocketed customer segment [Pyka press release].
The next twelve months
The coming year will be about moving from orders to deliveries. The key milestones to watch are the ramp of production to fulfill the 60-aircraft Synerjet order, the expansion of the U.S. agricultural customer base, and the first revenue flights for the Pelican Cargo variant.
Pyka's ultimate competition isn't other eVTOL startups dreaming of air taxis. It's the workhorse of remote logistics, the turbine-powered Pilatus PC-12 or the Cessna Caravan, and the aging fleet of Air Tractor spray planes. They have to prove that an autonomous electric plane can be as reliable, and eventually as cheap to operate, as those proven, fossil-fueled tools.