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Joby Aviation
Joby Aviation was founded in 2009 by JoeBen Bevirt, who started the company with seven engineers working out of a workshop in Santa Cruz, California.
Joby Aviation
Joby Aviation was founded in 2009 by JoeBen Bevirt, who started the company with seven engineers working out of a workshop in Santa Cruz, California. The firm has deliberately kept its pre-revenue development phase long, accumulating thousands of flight hours and advancing through multiple prototype generations before reaching the pubic market. The core engineering focus remains electric propulsion, flight software, and lithium-ion battery systems, and the company does not describe itself as connected to a private wealth source. Joby's central strategic bet is on direct operation of an air taxi airline—not merely selling an aircraft to other operators. Its all-electric piloted aircraft targets short-range urban and regional commutes, with an early focus on airport transfers through its partnership with Delta Air Lines and integration into the Uber app following the acquisition of Uber Elevate's software assets. Beyond partnership-driven demand, Joby is building out physical infrastructure: a pilot production plant in Marina, California, and a scaled manufacturing facility in Dayton, Ohio. The acquisition of Blade Air Mobility's passenger business added established terminal assets and a customer base in New York and Southern Europe. A 523-mile hydrogen-electric demonstrator flight signals a parallel interest in longer zero-emission regional flights. The company has grown to over 2,500 employees and holds multiple operational milestones: an FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate allowing it to operate a commercial air taxi service, completion of its first FAA production conformity inspection, and the first inhabited full-transition eVTOL flight. In 2024, it deepened its partnership with Toyota through the close of a $250 million tranche of strategic investment, while expanding production capacity across both Marina and Dayton sites. Joby completed its acquisition of Blade Air Mobility's passenger business in 2025, gaining access to established terminals in New York and Southern Europe. Joby's architecture as a publicly traded entity (NYSE: JOBY) running an in-house airline distinguishes it structurally from most advanced air mobility startups, which typically aim to supply aircraft to third-party operators. The firm bears the full capital and certification burden of getting a novel aircraft type approved while simultaneously building an operational airline, traffic integration software, and a consumer booking interface. This leaves Joby straddling aerospace manufacturing and commercial air service—a dual responsibility no peer has yet profitably combined.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
2009
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Santa Cruz
Corporate office
Santa Cruz, CA, United States
Additional offices
Marina, CA · Dayton, OH · New York, NY · San Francisco, CA
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes the final decision on aircraft certification and production timelines at Joby?
Day-to-day executive decisions flow through JoeBen Bevirt, the founder and CEO, who has led the firm since its inception in the Santa Cruz workshop in 2009. The company's public filings note that the Board oversees governance, but the CEO is the central decision-maker on the interrelated tracks of aircraft certification, manufacturing ramp-up, and commercial service launch. A specific non-executive chair or independent lead director is not separately identified in the available materials.
Does Joby plan to sell its aircraft to other air taxi operators?
Joby's primary stated strategy is to operate its own fleet directly as a commercial air taxi airline, rather than develop an aircraft to sell to third parties. The company owns the FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate that permits commercial service, and it is building the consumer-facing booking app, pilot pipeline, and operational infrastructure in-house. This vertical integration means near-term revenue expectations center on selling flights, not aircraft.
How does Joby source demand for its initial routes?
Joby has stacked initial demand through two large distribution partnerships: a multi-year, multi-city agreement with Delta Air Lines for airport transfer routes, and integration into the Uber app to provide end-to-end rideshare coordination. It also plans to leverage the established terminal footprint and customer base acquired through Blade Air Mobility's passenger business, particularly in New York and Southern Europe.
What is the relationship between Joby and Toyota?
Toyota is both a significant strategic investor and an operational partner. As of 2024, it closed an additional $250 million tranche of funding dedicated to accelerating certification and production. Before that, Toyota had supplied dozens of engineers to work alongside Joby's team on factory layout and manufacturing processes—a relationship that dates back to Toyota's initial strategic investment in Joby several years prior.
What does the acquisition of the Blade passenger business add to Joby?
The 2025 acquisition of Blade Air Mobility's passenger business gives Joby immediate infrastructure and market access, including established terminal locations and a base of existing customers in the New York metropolitan area and Southern Europe. This positions Joby to enter commercial service more rapidly in key early markets than if it had to build awareness and terminal access from scratch.
Which aviation regulations has Joby already cleared?
Joby has secured an FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate, which is a prerequisite to operate a commercial air taxi service. The company has also completed its first FAA production conformity inspection, a crucial step toward type certification, and concluded its first piloted full-transition flight—a milestone that moves the aircraft into the FAA flight testing phase. Full type certification of the production aircraft is still pending.
Does Joby operate any philanthropic or non-commercial structures?
The available corporate materials describe Joby strictly as a for-profit commercial entity with a focus on emissions reduction through the operation of an all-electric fleet. There is no disclosure of a separate philanthropic foundation, donor-advised fund, or impact-investment vehicle directly associated with the firm or its founder.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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