Apian
"Physical AI Infrastructure for Healthcare"
Apian is a London startup whose software orchestrates NHS drone deliveries of blood and pathology samples across London with partner Wing.
Apian is a London-based healthcare logistics technology company that builds software connecting hospitals and clinical laboratories to autonomous drone delivery networks. Founded in 2020 and headquartered at 2-6 Boundary Row in London, the company does not manufacture aircraft itself; instead it develops the order-management, flight-scheduling, live-tracking, and clinical-system integration software that sits between hospitals' Electronic Health Record and Laboratory Information Management Systems and third-party drone operators such as Wing, Zipline, and Matternet, which supply and fly the physical aircraft.
Apian's core commercial deployment is with the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. Working with Wing and the South West London Pathology (SWLP) service, Apian coordinates drone flights that move blood samples, pathology specimens, and other time-sensitive clinical materials between hospital sites including Guy's and St Thomas', Great Ormond Street Hospital, and St George's, across the complex, restricted airspace of South West London. As of mid-2026 the program has expanded to cover a network serving pathology testing for a population described by the operators as up to 1.8 million people, replacing courier van routes with drone flights measured in minutes. The company has also worked with Wing in Ireland to explore drone-based medical delivery there.
The company's platform handles the logistics layer that clinical drone delivery requires beyond the aircraft itself: converting a clinician's request into a scheduled flight, managing beyond-visual-line-of-sight airspace deconfliction with aviation authorities, tracking chain-of-custody for regulated medical materials, and closing the loop back into hospital IT systems so results and delivery confirmations appear where clinical staff already work. Apian has described its ambition as building "an autonomous delivery network operating at NHS scale, moving physical items as productively as the internet moves information."
Apian raised a 5 million pound seed round led by LocalGlobe, with participation from NHS-backed venture fund KHP Ventures, and has signaled plans to raise further capital to expand its network beyond London. The team is notable for its mix of clinical and aviation expertise, including former NHS doctors, former Royal Air Force air traffic controllers, and engineers with backgrounds at Google and in robotics, reflecting the company's position at the intersection of healthcare operations and unmanned aviation rather than as a hardware manufacturer. Apian's business model depends on partnerships with drone operators rather than owning aircraft, positioning it as a software and systems-integration layer for medical drone logistics networks rather than a drone maker.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Apian Platform
Cloud orchestration platform that plans and manages multi-provider drone and ground-robot deliveries of blood, medicines and lab samples across hospital networks, integrating with EHR and LIMS systems.
Contact Apian
WEBSITE
https://www.apian.health/HEADQUARTERS
United Kingdom
Company Facts
Founded
2020
Primary Role
Software/Algorithm
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
Early-Stage VC
Funding Total
-
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SWLP Expands Drone Delivery Network for Pathology Samples in Southwest London
South West London Pathology (SWLP) is broadening its drone delivery program after a successful pilot that transported thousands of pathology samples. This initiative, developed with Apian and Wing, is now integral to SWLP's logistics strategy, potentially serving hospitals and primary care sites across southwest London. The significance of this expansion lies in its ability to enhance medical logistics, particularly for time-sensitive deliveries. Drones have proven to be up to 85% faster than traditional ground transport, allowing clinicians to receive test results sooner, which is crucial for patient care. SWLP serves around 1.8 million people and processes approximately 51 million samples annually, making efficient logistics essential. Looking ahead, SWLP plans to extend drone operations to additional hospitals and primary care facilities, further integrating this technology into healthcare logistics. No further timeline was disclosed at the time of publication.
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