Revolutionising Last-Mile Logistics: Inside the Future of Drone Delivery with Beth Flippo, CEO and Founder of DEXA

This week on Tech Can’t Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Beth Flippo, CEO and Founder of DEXA, a Dayton-based autonomous logistics company transforming last-mile delivery from the birthplace of aviation. Spun out of TELEGRID Technologies in 2021, DEXA designs, manufactures and operates its own FAA-certified DE-2020 drone, turning two-day shipping into deliveries in under 15 minutes.

They discuss how drone delivery is shifting from futuristic novelty to everyday infrastructure, and why Beth sees an emerging autonomy economy as the next evolution of the gig economy. Beth explains how DEXA’s roots in secure defence communications shape its approach, from the encrypted mesh networking behind its AeroGRID+ swarm technology to the customer-facing platforms that link retailers’ orders to real-time flight operations. She also unpacks what makes DEXA rare in the sector: as one of only four fully integrated drone manufacturer-operators in the US, alongside Amazon, Google and Zipline, it controls the entire delivery ecosystem end to end.

The conversation covers the long road through commercial aviation regulation, which saw DEXA become only the seventh US company to secure FAA Part 135 Air Carrier certification, alongside a nationwide BVLOS waiver. They explore how DEXA turns pilots like its early Kroger partnership into lasting integrations, what investors look for after its $15 million seed round, and which signals tell the team a city is ready for drone delivery. Beth also shares how two decades in financial technology at UBS, Goldman Sachs and Cantor Fitzgerald prepared her for founding a deep-tech company, the steep learning curve of moving from CTO to CEO, and her advice for women building hardware businesses in tech and aviation.

Find more about DEXA here: https://www.flydexa.com