TECH

Flying-Car Startup Volant Raises $147 Million Ahead of Potential IPO

Published: May. 28, 2026 3:22 a.m. GMT+8

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A Volant VE25-100 eVTOL aircraft on display at the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Nov. 5, 2025. Photo: VCG

Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing startup Shanghai Volant Aerotech Co., Ltd. has raised nearly 1 billion yuan ($147 million) in a new funding round as it gears up for a Hong Kong initial public offering.

The fundraising blitz highlights a broader rush among Chinese flying-car developers to secure capital for costly airworthiness certifications and mass production, hoping to dominate a nascent sector that has already seen high-profile Western casualties.

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Volant raised nearly 1 billion yuan ($147M) in Series C+ for Hong Kong IPO, led by China Life-backed fund, Nio Capital, Cornerstone. Total now nearly 5 billion yuan.
Funds will aid certification of VE25-100 aircraft, with CAAC accepting type-certificate application in 2023.
Sector rushes to public markets amid Beijing’s low-altitude economy push, but profitability remains challenging, highlighted by Lilium’s bankruptcy.

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...: Shanghai Volant Aerotech raised nearly 1 billion yuan ($147 million) in a Series C+ round led by a China Life-backed tech fund, with Nio Capital and Cornerstone Capital. The funds will support airworthiness certification for its VE25-100 aircraft as it prepares for a Hong Kong IPO.

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