German startup behind electric ‘microliner’ lands €14M runway

Munich-based startup Vaeridion has secured €14mn to develop an electric aircraft that it hopes will whisk passengers on short-haul routes around Europe by 2030. 

“The microliner looks like a regular plane and it takes off from a runway — the only difference is that it will be powered by batteries,” Vaeridion’s co-founder and CEO, Ivor van Dartel, told TNW in an interview last month. “For operators and passengers, the experience will be essentially the same.”

Berlin-based climate tech VC World Fund led the Series A investment, with participation from Project A Ventures, Vsquared Ventures, Schwarz Holding, InnovationQuarter, and angel investor Andreas Kupke. 

“Our new funding will significantly accelerate development efforts, paving the way for certification-conforming prototype flights to take off in 2027, followed by a first commercial flight by 2030,” said Van Dartel.

The news comes just a month after Vaeridion became the first general aviation manufacturer to secure a ...