Geneva’s Fly-Box secures CHF 3 million to advance flying freight platforms
Tech
1 September 2025
Fly-Box’s foil platforms transport containers without waves, noise, or emissions, offering a new approach to short-distance freight. | © Fly-Box
Start-up Fly-Box has raised nearly CHF 3 million in pre-seed funding to advance its proof of concept and prepare the next phase of development.
Fly-Box, a Geneva-based start-up co-founded in 2023 by hydrofoil pioneer Alain Thébault and Jean-Philippe Bouchaud, has announced the completion of a pre-seed funding round totaling almost CHF 3 million. The funds will support the company’s proof of concept (PoC) trials and provide critical data on teleoperability and user experience, two key elements for scaling the concept to larger platforms.
The financing campaign was led by French, Belgian, and Middle Eastern families already involved in the project, and builds on CHF 1 million raised at the time of the company’s founding. These resources have enabled Fly-Box to design and build its first prototype, secure patents, and begin initial testing.
From Lake Geneva to Dubai
Fly-Box’s technology aims to revolutionize short-distance container transport by relieving congestion in ports and cities while decarbonizing logistics. Its 20-meter-long platforms are designed to carry 40-foot shipping containers weighing up to 30 tons, cruising at 25 knots. Operating in “sea train” formation, one piloted unit will lead others connected autonomously, providing a sustainable alternative to diesel-powered trucks.
In June 2025, Fly-Box successfully tested the Fly-Box Compact, an 8-meter battery-powered version for smaller loads, on Lake Geneva. The trial was part of a broader initiative to support urban logistics decarbonization and validate the technology’s potential for last-mile freight solutions.
The company is now preparing a decisive phase. A fourth pre-seed investment round of CHF 1–1.5 million is targeted for this fall to finance additional trials, including demonstrations in Dubai. This will precede a larger EUR 20 million fundraising campaign to launch the design and pre-production of two full-scale Fly-Boxes.
A major presentation on Lake Geneva between Vevey and Lausanne is scheduled for mid-September 2025, followed by a showcase in Dubai. With congestion in the UAE reaching critical levels, Fly-Box estimates a production capacity of 100 boats per year and projects first deliveries by 2027.
