Keller Rinaudo is the CEO and co-founder of Zipline International, the HealthTech company behind the world’s fastest and most reliable delivery drone.
Based in San Francisco, California, Zipline drones are being used to deliver medical supplies throughout Rwanda and Ghana. Through Zipline’s healthcare logistics network, Rwanda has become the first country to achieve universal access to healthcare for all its citizens, as everyone is within a 15- to 25-minute flight from any vital medical product, Keller explained to DC Velocity. Launched in 2019, Zipline’s Ghana program is the largest medical drone delivery system in the world.
Although the startup is providing vital healthcare services, Keller wants to emphasize that Zipline is not a philanthropic organization. He believes it’s possible to make a difference and earn a profit at the same time.
“I think it’s kind of a bummer that we view doing something good for people in the world and places where they really need it as being totally divorced from a sustainable business model,” he told Vox. “Our mission is really to show that you can do both … if you can deliver something that can have a huge impact on someone’s health or life, the willingness to pay for everyone involved, for government, for global public health providers and even for private companies is much higher.”
Keller received a bachelor’s in economics and biotechnology from Harvard University. During his time at Harvard, he built DNA and RNA computers that were manufactured by human cells and could formulate calculations based on gene expression on a cell-by-cell basis. He published the research in the journal Nature Biotechnology, becoming one of the publication’s youngest first authors.
Before founding Zipline, Keller was a professional rock climber.
Keller was listed on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 consumer technology list in 2017.
Tags: drones, HealthTech
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