Texas Students Raise $1.85 Million to Launch Medical Cargo Drone Startup Seven engineering students from Rice University in Texas have turned a classroom project into a promising startup, Haast Autonomous, aimed at revolutionizing healthcare logistics.
The company has raised $1.85 million in pre-seed funding to develop a drone-based system capable of quickly and safely transporting critical medical supplies between hospitals.
The founders argue that current healthcare logistics rely too heavily on road couriers and expensive air transport, leading to delays that could jeopardize patient care.
Haast Autonomous combines custom-built drones with advanced software for dispatching and tracking deliveries in real time. The team plans to dedicate their first year after graduation to working full-time on the venture, with pilot trials scheduled to begin in early 2027.
The startup was co-founded by graduating seniors Ege Halac, Jason Chen, and Santiago Brent, who initially developed the concept through Rice University's Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summer Venture Studio.
They later built prototypes at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, joined by fellow engineering students Felix Hasson, Ethan Javedan, Kenna Sanders, and Caden Schmidt.
The need for Haast's solution has grown as healthcare systems become more centralized, with specialized laboratories, blood banks, and diagnostic services concentrated in fewer locations.
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