SkyDrive Secures ¥8.3 Billion in Pre-Series D Funding from Suzuki, JR East, JR Kyushu, and Others

TOYOTA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 4, 2025--

SkyDrive Inc. (‘SkyDrive'), a leading eVTOL (*1) aircraft manufacturer based in Japan, today announced that it has raised ¥8.3 billion in Pre-Series D funding through a third-party allotment. This funding round was led by MUFG Bank, Ltd. (‘MUFG’), with investments from Suzuki Motor Corporation (‘Suzuki’), East Japan Railway Company (‘JR East’), Kyushu Railway Company (‘JR Kyushu’), and seven other companies. With this latest round, SkyDrive's cumulative funding now exceeds ¥43 billion.

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Background and Purpose of Fundraising

SkyDrive, founded in 2018, is working to fulfil its mission of “taking the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution” and its vision of creating a future in which the general public, in Japan and around the world, use eVTOLs to meet their daily mobility needs. The company has been actively working to obtain type certification, a critical step toward the commercialization of eVTOL. In February 2025, Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) issued a G-1 certification basis for the SKYDRIVE SD-05, SkyDrive’s lightweight, 3-seater eVTOL aircraft (*2).

Currently, SkyDrive is advancing its certification plans and coordinating with JCAB on the specifics of upcoming tests and their timelines. Following an agreement on the certification plan, SkyDrive will conduct extensive ground and flight tests in line with the agreed plans. The new funding will be used to strengthen the development team, enhance testing infrastructure, improve operational readiness, and accelerate activities related to certification and development.

Strategic Alliances with Railway Companies

Following on from partnerships with Osaka Metro Co., Ltd. and Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Ltd., SkyDrive is delighted to welcome JR East and JR Kyushu as strategic equity partners in this new funding round. SkyDrive now maintains capital and business alliances with a total of four railway companies. Integrating SkyDrive’s eVTOL capabilities into existing networks operated by these partner companies will create seamless mobility solutions that effectively combine overland and air travel. These collaborations will also focus on the establishment of air routes and the development of vertiports, as well as public relations efforts designed to boost public support for widespread eVTOL use of eVTOL.

Comments

Mr. Yoichi Kise, President and CEO of East Japan Railway Company
“The history of rail travel in Japan dates back more than 150 years. Since their introduction, railways have continually evolved alongside societal progress, adapting to changing lifestyles and technologies. Our recent partnership with SkyDrive represents an important milestone in our journey to create seamless mobility services that connect ground and air transportation. We believe this collaboration has the potential to address regional transportation challenges and unlock innovative solutions. By integrating railway services with eVTOL technology, we aim to help build a more comfortable and sustainable society. Building on our long-standing commitment to safety and passenger peace-of-mind, the East Japan Railway Company looks to create new value through the next-generation mobility solutions that will shape the future of transport.”

Mr. Yoji Furumiya, Representative Director, President and Corporate Officer of Kyushu Railway Company
“eVTOL will not only provide tourists with exciting, memorable air travel experiences, it will also make significant contributions to community development by providing a new daily transportation option for local community residents. This initiative aligns with key strategies outlined in the JR Kyushu Group Medium-Term Business Plan, which outlines our deep involvement in realizing sustainable mobility services, city building through enhanced collaboration among businesses, and planting seeds for the future. Through the introduction of innovations in air mobility, we aim to make the Kyushu region more attractive, and we are committed to working together with the local community to advance this exciting project.”

Mr. Norihiko Takao, President of Univance Corporation
“We are thrilled to announce our investment in SkyDrive, a company driving the move towards next-generation mobility services as an innovator at the forefront of eVTOL aircraft development. At Univance, we have spent decades developing and manufacturing advanced drive systems for the automotive industry, and we are confident that, by applying our expertise, we can play a key role in building the infrastructure needed for a new era of transportation. Through our partnership with SkyDrive, we look forward to creating sustainable and innovative mobility solutions, while working together to address critical societal challenges and shape a better future.”

Tomohiro Fukuzawa, CEO of SkyDrive Inc.
“Since our additional Series C funding in August 2024, SkyDrive has made steady progress in the development of our eVTOL aircraft. With substantial support from our partner Suzuki, prototypes of our eVTOL have successfully completed numerous flight tests without incident, also achieving a successful demonstration flight at the Osaka-Kansai Expo site in April 2025. We are also pleased with the progress of our certification plans with the issuance by JCAB of the standards that will apply to our application for type certification.

On the global business front, we have received over 380 pre-orders across seven countries, further expanding the international reach of our vision. Additionally, in this Pre-Series D round, we are honored to welcome JR East and JR Kyushu as new partners. We are confident that integrating SkyDrive’s next-generation mobility solutions into Japan’s railway networks will enable us to deliver seamless mobility services that link ground and air transport, providing a fast and convenient customer experience.

As we welcome this new investment, we would also like to express our deepest gratitude to all of the investors who have been with us from the earlier stages of our journey. These valuable partners include Suzuki, MUFG Bank, Itochu Technology Ventures, Obayashi Corporation, Kansai Electric Power, Toyoda Iron Works, NHK Spring, and SuMi Trust Innovation Investment. Through their early involvement, these shareholders have shared SkyDrive’s vision, significantly contributing to the refinement of our technology and the expansion of our business possibilities. Their unwavering support enables us to push the boundaries of innovation and work toward the wider public acceptance and adoption of eVTOL.

We remain committed to advancing our development efforts as a united team, striving to bring the future of air mobility to life as quickly as possible.”

About SkyDrive Inc.

SkyDrive is an eVTOL company aiming “to take the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution”. The company began testing eVTOL prototypes in 2014 prior to official incorporation in 2018. Under its future vision for urban transportation, flying in eVTOLs will become a regular part of city life. In 2019, SkyDrive became the first company to fly a crewed eVTOL in Japan. As of 2025, SkyDrive is working with civil aviation authorities in Japan and the US to acquire certification for “SKYDRIVE”, the company’s first eVTOL product. SkyDrive showcased the first public flight of the SKYDRIVE at Expo 2025 in Osaka in April 2025, with plans for further demonstration flights in summer. SkyDrive began production of “SKYDRIVE” in March 2024 at a plant owned by Suzuki Motor Corporation, SkyDrive's official production partner. SkyDrive is headquartered in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, and led by CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa, an engineer and entrepreneur.
For more information, please visit: https://en.skydrive2020.com/

Editor’s Note:
(*1) “eVTOL” is an abbreviation for electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing. As the name suggests, eVTOL aircraft can take off and land without a runway. eVTOLs are powered by electricity and incorporate advanced, automatic, flight control technology.
(*2) Related press release: https://en.skydrive2020.com/archives/14401
(*3) Related press release: https://en.skydrive2020.com/archives/14350
(*4) Related press release: https://en.skydrive2020.com/archives/14325

A vision for potential eVTOL routes in Oita Prefecture. As announced by JR Kyushu and SkyDrive.(*4) A research project utilizing the 'Subsidy for the Development of Advanced Air Mobility Commercial Services for Fiscal Year 2025' in Oita Prefecture has been launched.

An initial concept for areas of Iwate Prefecture (northern Japan) that could be served by SkyDrive’s eVTOL. As announced by JR East and SkyDrive.(*3)

Investors in Pre-Series D Funding

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Liberian man arrested over the weekend after heavily armed immigration agents used a battering ram to break through the front door of his Minneapolis home had been checking in regularly with federal authorities for years, his attorney said Tuesday.

The arrest of Garrison Gibson, 37 during a Minnesota immigration crackdown that the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest enforcement operation ever, was a “blatant constitutional violation,” since the agents did not have a proper warrant, said attorney Marc Prokosch.

The arrest Sunday came in a city increasingly on edge after an immigration agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good last week, setting off waves of angry protests and clashes between authorities and activists.

“This was an illegal search, absolutely,” said Prokosch, because agents had brought only an administrative warrant, which authorizes someone’s arrest but does not allow officers to forcibly enter private homes. Forced entry requires a criminal warrant signed by a judge.

Gibson, who fled the Liberian civil war as a child, had been ordered removed from the U.S., apparently because of a 2008 drug conviction that was later dismissed by the courts. But he had remained in the country legally under what’s known as an order of supervision, with the requirement that he meet regularly with immigration authorities.

Only days before his arrest, Gibson had checked in with immigration authorities at regional immigration offices — the same building where agents have been staging enforcement raids in recent weeks.

“He would have had another check-in in a couple of months,” Prokosch said. “So if he’s this dangerous person, then, why are they letting him walk around?

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, said earlier this week that Gibson has “a lengthy rap sheet (that) includes robbery, drug possession with intent to sell, possession of a deadly weapon, malicious destruction and theft.” She did not indicate if those were arrests, charges or convictions.

McLaughlin did not respond to questions about whether the agents’ use of force was justified.

But court records indicate Gibson’s legal history — dominated by a few traffic violations, minor drug arrests and an arrest for riding public transportation without paying the fare — shows only one felony, the 2008 conviction for third-degree narcotics sales that was later dismissed.

Prokosch said Gibson had been flown to Texas by immigration authorities in the hours after his arrest, then quickly flown back to Minnesota on a judge's order after the lawyer filed a habeas corpus petition, used by courts to determine if an imprisonment is legal. The courts have not yet ruled on the petition.

Gibson is currently being held at an immigration detention center in Albert Lea, Minnesota, after being held at a large camp on the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas. according to ICE’s detainee locator.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to an email from The Associated Press with follow-up questions about Gibson's case.

Gibson’s wife, Teyana Gibson Brown, a nurse who was inside the home with the couple's 9-year-old child during the raid, was deeply shaken by the arrest, Prokosch said.

During their conversations, she “was having a hard time just completing sentences because she’s just been so distraught,” he said.

Activists who had been keeping watch on the immigration agents before Gibson's arrest banged on drums, blew whistles and honked car horns in attempts to disrupt the operation and warn neighbors, some of whom poured into the streets.

Video taken at the scene by the AP shows agents pushing and pepper-spraying demonstrators.

The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — has been convulsed by the killing of Good, who was shot Jan. 7 during a confrontation with agents.

The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents and that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle.

City and state officials have dismissed those explanations based on videos of the confrontation.

State and local authorities are urging the public to share video and any other evidence as they seek to investigate Good’s death after federal authorities insisted they would work on their own and not share information.

More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News over the weekend that the administration would send additional federal agents to the state to protect immigration officers and continue enforcement.

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AP correspondent Elliot Spagat contributed to this report from San Diego.

A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)