Australian aerospace technology company MAKO has raised AU$28 million (US$20 million) in a Series A funding round to expand manufacturing of its shark skin-inspired Flightfilm technology, which is designed to improve aircraft fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.
According to MAKO, the funding will be used to scale its vertically integrated manufacturing capability, fulfil commercial airline and defence pre-orders, and accelerate certification of Flightfilm across key aviation markets.Â
The round was led by Virescent Ventures, with participation from International Airlines Group (IAG) through IAGi Ventures, Zero Infinity Partners, Grok Ventures, Skip Capital, IP Group and TreeArc Investment Group.
MAKO said Flightfilm is a precision-engineered adhesive film that is applied to most of an aircraft’s surface to reduce friction drag, lowering fuel consumption, emissions and operating costs without requiring structural modifications. The company said flight testing with the US Air Force on a C-130J Super Hercules measured a net drag reduction of more than 4%, while certification for the Airbus A320 is expected within the year.
MAKO chief executive Henry Bilinsky said the funding would help the company move from certification to large-scale manufacturing and delivery.
“This funding accelerates MAKO’s mission as we complete certification, deliver to those customers, and scale production for the global aviation fleet,” Bilinsky said.
He added that the investor group represented “deep experience in backing deep tech, climate tech, and aviation tech companies solving hard problems at scale,” and said the investment reflected confidence in the company’s mission of improving the efficiency of existing aircraft fleets.
The company said it has partnered with Delta Air Lines through the airline’s Sustainable Skies Lab and plans trials with major Asia-Pacific carriers. International Airlines Group also plans to pilot Flightfilm with one of its airlines later this year.
Virescent Ventures partner Blair Pritchard said the firm had backed MAKO since 2022 and believed the technology could improve the efficiency of aircraft already in service.
“MAKO meaningfully improves the efficiency of aircraft already in service,” Pritchard said, adding that the company had secured contracts with both commercial and military aviation customers.
Raza Ali, managing partner of IAGi Ventures, said IAG plans to test Flightfilm later this year, with the potential to expand its use across additional airlines if successful.
“We believe it can improve efficiency and deliver both substantial cost efficiencies and emission reductions,” Ali said.
Looking ahead, MAKO said the new investment will support the establishment and expansion of a certified manufacturing facility, increase production capacity for commercial and defence customers, and grow its operations across the Asia-Pacific, North American and European markets.
