Serial entrepreneur Bobby Healy’s drone delivery business Manna is creating 50 jobs in Dublin’s Balbriggan.
he company, which former CarTrawler executive Healy founded in 2018, already employs 103 staff and will hire the new Balbriggan team of up to 50 to meet the demand for the service.
Manna plans to roll out across Ireland in 2022 and Europe in 2023.
On the expansion, Healy said it had “rapid growth plans”, adding that it planned for a “full-scale roll out internationally in 2023”.
Tánaiste and Enterprise Minister Leo Varadkar welcomed the new jobs.
“Manna is a great example of an indigenous Irish company at the cutting-edge of a high-potential growth industry.
“This year, Manna has created 50 new jobs in Balbriggan, and I know it has an ambitious expansion plan for the future.”
Manna has raised over $30m from investors such as Molten Ventures, Atlantic Bridge, and Elkstone.
The firm works with more than 30 vendors, including household names, Samsung, Tesco, ice-cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, Coca-Cola and JustEat.
Manna has said one of its aircraft can do 100 deliveries a day and has claimed four of its drones can serve the entire population of 35,000 people in Balbriggan.
Manna has also grown its team in the US, with the company now examining different locations for its launch.
In addition, it plans to conduct test flights in the US this year.
“We do plan to be flying in the US in 2022,” the US Manna boss Andrew Patton said in an interview with publication DroneLife.
“The challenge for us in the US is that the regulatory environment is a bit
behind what it is in Europe.
“We have several issues under review right now. The Federal Aviation Administration’s view on what’s possible is being factored in.
“We will be pursuing waivers and exemptions to allow us to do as much as we can.”
Patton said in the interview that it was too early to release any details about Manna’s proposed US expansion plans.
