Business Daily – Meet the Founders: "The Self-Taught Coder Building a Drone Empire"

Host: Sarah Rogers
Guest: Bobby Healy, Founder of Mana Air Delivery
Date: April 2, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Business Daily’s "Meet the Founders," Sarah Rogers sits down with Bobby Healy, the self-taught coder and serial entrepreneur behind Mana Air Delivery, one of Europe's largest drone delivery startups. Healy discusses his unconventional entry into technology, the realities and challenges of building a disruptive business in aviation, the lessons from 40 years of entrepreneurship, and his vision for the future of drone delivery worldwide.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Curiosity, Family Influence, and First Forays into Tech

• Childhood Tinkering and Parental Support

  • Bobby describes growing up as a "mad scientist" kid, always experimenting with household items (02:29).

    "I was the kid that opened the toaster to see how it worked... I was inquisitive and I was up in the attic with my chemistry set..."
    (Bobby Healy, 02:29)

  • His mother played a pivotal role by using almost all the family’s discretionary income to buy him a Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer at age 13, sparking his self-taught programming journey (03:48, 04:47).

    "She bet on me in a way and gave me what I needed to really unlock the creativity."
    (Bobby Healy, 03:48)

• First Jobs and Video Game Development

  • Noting poor job prospects in 1980s Ireland, Bobby leveraged his programming skills to land a dream job at Martech, earning £14,000—a life-changing sum for a 17-year-old (06:49, 06:53).

    "It was like somebody gave me the job to pilot the space shuttle."
    (Bobby Healy, 06:49)

  • Developed licensed games for Michael Jackson's Moonwalker and The Running Man (06:53).

• On Education

  • Self-educated; school results suffered due to his programming focus, and he never attended university (07:54).

    "I taught myself how to program because I had that computer and school suffered as a result."
    (Bobby Healy, 07:54)

Shifting Industries: From Video Games to Travel Tech

• Leaving Video Games
  • Cites the volatility and meager financial rewards of gaming, deciding to pursue technology sectors with greater economic promise—specifically travel tech (08:21).
• Entrepreneurial Track Record
  • Over 40 years, Bobby built and exited multiple travel technology firms, including Car Trawler and Eland Technologies (09:08).
  • First company, Doodlebug Designs, ended due to lack of funding—a relatively painless failure in his eyes (09:08, 10:12).

    "Failure doesn't faze me at all... I'm never embarrassed about them not working out or declining."
    (Bobby Healy, 10:12)

Founding Mana Air Delivery: Motivation, Risks, and Regulation

• Starting Mana at 49: Age and Ambition

  • Admits initial doubts about starting a startup in his late 40s, challenged by assumptions around ageism (01:48, 14:12).

    "I genuinely wasn't sure if a 49 year old has any right to be building a startup..."
    (Bobby Healy, 14:12)

  • Inspired by an Economist article stating the average successful tech entrepreneur is 49 (14:59).

    "It was like they wrote it for me, but I said, you know what, I can't sit still."
    (Bobby Healy, 15:00)

• The Eureka Moment

  • Originated while struggling to get food delivery in his Dublin suburb; realized the potential of drones to solve this large-scale logistics problem (15:41).

    "The penny drop moment for me wasn't the technology, it was the realization that this is a gigantic problem..."
    (Bobby Healy, 15:41)

  • Prototyped logistics by renting a cherry picker and experimenting with food drops (16:33).

• Legal and Regulatory Obstacles

  • The two main challenges: economic viability (cost-competitive with car deliveries) and legality (overcoming strict aviation regulations) (16:33).

    "There was always a huge likelihood that we would build something great that would never be allowed to fly."
    (Bobby Healy, 17:04)

  • EU’s proactive drone regulation became the “final decision point” for building the company (17:36).

• Expansion and Licensing

  • Mana now holds an EU-wide license, operates in Finland and Ireland, and is preparing to expand into the UK and US as regulations allow (18:32).

Operating Realities: Profitability & Scale

• Financials

  • Raised $120M in venture capital; not yet profitable overall due to R&D and staffing, but “operations are profitable”—each delivery makes money (20:05).

    "We already make money on every single flight... I think we would probably reach profitability within the next two to three years."
    (Bobby Healy, 20:05)

• Wildlife, Privacy, and Community Challenges

  • No observed issues with wildlife; noise complaints addressed with quieter propulsion technology (19:36, 19:49).

• Partnerships, Not Rivalry

  • Mana partners with Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Just Eat, and DoorDash, augmenting rather than replacing traditional drivers in tough delivery scenarios (21:25).

    "We augment their business. We don't replace those drivers... we just add additional capacity..."
    (Bobby Healy, 21:25)

  • Industry is of such scale that he’s happy to coexist with Amazon and Google (22:06).

    "I'd be very happy to share a third each with Amazon and Google. That'd be absolutely fine for me."
    (Bobby Healy, 22:06)

Motivation, Leadership, and Future Vision

• Work Ethic and Culture

  • Works seven days a week, regularly writing code late into the night, stating,

    "My favorite day is Sunday because that's when everyone leaves me alone... I'm still up till 3 or 4 in the morning. Regularly writing code..."
    (Bobby Healy, 11:24)

• Family and Legacy

  • Has four children; supports their curiosity but lets them develop at their own pace (11:48, 12:15).

• Looking Ahead

  • Plans for a large US footprint, a hopeful expansion into the UK, and expects Mana to be a public company and “the biggest delivery company in the world” within five years (22:22).

    "In five years time we'll be a public company and we'll be the biggest delivery company in the world."
    (Bobby Healy, 22:22)

• Lessons Learned

  • Nothing about the journey has surprised him; risks and challenges were all foreseen and calculated (23:09).

    "Nothing has come as a surprise… I think we are where I expected us to be."
    (Bobby Healy, 23:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Childhood and Experimentation:

  "I was the kid that opened the toaster to see how it worked." (02:29)

• On First Tech Job:

  "It was like somebody gave me the job to pilot the space shuttle." (06:49)

• On Failure:

  "Failure doesn't faze me at all... I'm never embarrassed about them not working out or declining." (10:12)

• On Starting Up at 49:

  "I can't sit still. So what am I going to do? I'm not going to go gardening or sighting or traveling." (15:00)

• On Drone Delivery's Potential:

  "This is a gigantic problem across the world of moving goods around suburban communities." (16:25)

• On Company Partnerships:

  "We augment their business. We don't replace those drivers... we just add additional capacity..." (21:25)

• On the Future:

  "In five years time we'll be a public company and we'll be the biggest delivery company in the world." (22:22)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Bobby’s Early Curiosity and First Computer: 02:29 – 04:47
• First Tech Job & Video Game Development: 06:49 – 07:54
• Leaving Video Games for Travel Tech: 08:21 – 09:08
• Attitude Toward Failure and Business Lessons: 10:11 – 10:12
• Launching Mana & Regulatory Risks: 14:12 – 17:36
• Prototyping Drone Delivery: 16:33
• Expansion Plans & Partnerships: 18:32 – 22:22
• Financials and Profitability: 20:05
• Vision for the Future: 22:22 – 23:09

Conclusion

Bobby Healy’s entrepreneurial journey encapsulates relentless curiosity, adaptability, and a calculated approach to risk. His self-taught expertise and willingness to take on daunting regulatory hurdles have positioned Mana Air Delivery as a formidable innovator in drone logistics—Augmenting existing delivery ecosystems rather than disrupting them outright. Despite years in the game, Healy continues to be driven by the joy of building and problem solving, and his vision for Mana is both uncompromising and deeply grounded in experience.

For enterprising listeners and tech enthusiasts alike, this episode offers a candid, insightful window into the realities of high-risk innovation and what it takes to build an empire from curiosity and code.