Keller Rinaudo Cliffton

Keller Rinaudo Cliffton is a robotics entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Zipline, a commercial autonomous delivery company operating across four continents. Zipline has completed more than 100 million commercial autonomous miles, providing drone delivery services for healthcare, consumer products, and food. Cliffton graduated from Harvard, where he worked in the Bauer Genomics Lab, developing computers from RNA and DNA to function as molecular doctors within human cells. Prior to his technology career, Cliffton was a nationally ranked professional rock climber.

Cliffton first gained recognition through Romotive, a company that transformed smartphones into affordable robots. At TED2013, he demonstrated Romo, a smartphone-powered mini robot capable of mobility and programmable expressions. After Romotive, Cliffton shifted focus to global infrastructure challenges, co-founding Zipline to build a national-scale drone delivery system. Zipline launched operations in Rwanda, delivering blood and vaccines to rural clinics with electric autonomous aircraft.

Zipline completes a commercial delivery every 60 seconds, serves more than 5,000 health facilities, and partners with organizations such as Walmart, Sweetgreen, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Chipotle, Pfizer, Panera, and national governments. Zipline’s electric, autonomous drones have made more than 2.5 million commercial deliveries, transporting items up to 8 pounds, including vaccines, blood, anti-venom doses, and food. The company operates in five African countries, several U.S. cities, and Japan, and has attracted significant investment, reaching a valuation of $7.6 billion after a funding round exceeding $600 million.

The U.S. Department of State awarded $150 million to Zipline to expand its AI and robotics infrastructure across Africa. Cliffton has received the U.S. Secretary of State's Corporate Excellence Award. The company’s South San Francisco factory has the capacity to produce 24,000 drones annually. Zipline has appeared on CNBC's Disruptor 50 list multiple times.

Cliffton frequently discusses failure, experimentation, and the importance of mission-driven teams in technology and entrepreneurship. He has presented TED Talks about Romotive and Zipline, sharing insights on autonomous logistics, robotics, and AI as tools for equity and humanitarian impact. Cliffton’s background in molecular biology, rock climbing, and robotics positions him as a leading voice at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and global health.