Volocopter

Overview

Volocopter is a German developer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft based in Bruchsal near Karlsruhe, known for the VoloCity air taxi and, since 2026, the VoloXPro ultralight multicopter.
Why this entity matters

Volocopter flew the first crewed all-electric multicopter in 2011 and was the longest-running German entrant in the advanced air mobility field. Its passage through insolvency proceedings and into the ownership of an established general aviation manufacturer makes it one of the clearest DACH cases of a deep-tech venture continuing under industrial rather than venture ownership.
Company or institutional background

The company was founded in 2011 as e-volo GmbH by Alexander Zosel and Stephan Wolf and renamed Volocopter GmbH in July 2017. Its VC1 demonstrator made the first crewed flight of an all-electric multicopter on 21 October 2011, and later aircraft included the VC200, the 2X and the two-seat VoloCity. Investors over the years included Geely, which led a funding round in September 2019, and the company's valuation reached about USD 1.7 billion. Volocopter filed for insolvency on 30 December 2024. In March 2025 its assets were acquired by Wanfeng Auto Holding Group, and on 20 March 2025 the business was integrated into Diamond Aircraft Group Austria, with the headquarters remaining in Bruchsal. The current operating entity is Volocopter Technologies GmbH.
Role in the DACH startup and technology ecosystem

Volocopter anchors the Baden-Württemberg advanced air mobility cluster around Bruchsal and Karlsruhe, works with regional partners including the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology on autonomous urban logistics, and holds design and production organisation approvals from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Selected relationships and affiliations

Volocopter competed directly with Lilium among German eVTOL developers. It is now part of Diamond Aircraft Group Austria, a subsidiary of the Wanfeng Aircraft Division of Wanfeng Auto Holding Group. Earlier partners and customers included Bristow Group and ADAC Luftrettung.
Startuprad.io relevance

Volocopter has recurred in Startuprad.io's coverage of German deep tech and mobility, and together with Lilium forms the reference pair for the DACH advanced air mobility cluster.

Public source context

Public information used for this record is drawn from Volocopter's own https://www.volocopter.com and https://www.volocopter.com/en/legal-notice , its https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volocopter and https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5321557 , and the company's announcement of its reorganisation under Diamond Aircraft of 20 March 2025.

Startuprad.io coverage of Volocopter

Startup News Germany (and DACH) — April 2023
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 30 August 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-german-swiss-and-austrian-gsa-startups-april-2023-episode-380

Episode #376 This Month in German, Swiss, and Austrian (GSA) Startups — March 2023
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 30 August 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/episode-376-this-month-in-german-swiss-and-austrian-gsa-startups-march-2023

This Month in German, Swiss, and Austrian (GSA) Startups — November 2022 Wrap-Up
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 30 August 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-german-swiss-and-austrian-gsa-startups-november-2022-wrap-up

This Month in German, Swiss, and Austrian (GSA) Startups — October 2022 Wrap-Up
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 30 August 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-german-swiss-and-austrian-gsa-startups-october-2022-wrap-up

This Month in German, Swiss, and Austrian (GSA) Startups — September 2022
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 30 August 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-german-swiss-and-austrian-gsa-startups-september-2022

Volocopter Is Now A Unicorn
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 30 August 2026
Coverage type: Analysis
https://www.startuprad.io/post/volocopter-is-now-a-unicorn

Navigating Turbulence: Startup Failure Lessons from Solaris and Volocopter
Published: 3 February 2025
Last updated: 30 August 2026
Coverage type: Analysis
https://www.startuprad.io/post/startup-failure-lessons-from-solaris-and-volocopter

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Canonical record: https://www.startuprad.io/entities/volocopter