Palantir Just Boarded A Flying Startup And This Nano-Cap Stock Just Took Off

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR) has built its AI empire inside the Pentagon, and now it's buckling up for its next frontier: the skies.

On June 18, Palantir acquired over one million shares of Surf Air Mobility Inc. SRFM, a struggling electric aviation nano-cap, bringing its total stake to more than 4.4 million shares and establishing it as a 10%+ owner. The price? Just over $2 million. The impact? A 20% pop in SRFM's stock price within hours.

A Grounded Stock, A Sky-High Bet

Surf Air may be flying under most investors' radar (down 61% year to date), but its ambitions are bold: to reinvent regional air travel with AI software and electric propulsion.

It's building an AI-enabled SurfOS platform, aimed at charter brokers, operators, and aircraft owners. The system includes:

• BrokerOS – streamlining private flight bookings
• OperatorOS – optimizing aircraft management
• OwnerOS – helping plane owners maximize profitability

Behind it all? Palantir's Foundry and AIP software. This isn't just a stake – it's a full integration deal, embedding Palantir into the backend of a future-forward airline.

Read Also: Palantir, Meta, OpenAI, And Thinking Machines Just Had Their Executives Sworn Into The US Army Reserve

This Isn't Palantir's First Flight

The Surf Air move fits a larger Palantir pattern:

• It has partnered with Archer Aviation Inc. ACHR to help develop software for air taxis.
• It powers Skywise, Airbus SE‘s EADSY fleet-wide analytics platform connecting over 10,500 aircraft.
• It supports Lilium NV's LILMF eVTOL operations, streaming terabytes of real-time jet data into predictive maintenance models.

Palantir's long game? Becoming the digital nervous system for tomorrow's aviation infrastructure.

SRFM Takes Off, PLTR Keeps Climbing

While Surf Air soared on the news, Palantir is already flying high:

• +86% year to date
• +480% over the past year

And this tiny bet — just $2.1 million for a double-digit stake — is classic Palantir: get in early, install Foundry, scale with AI, and ride the value creation.

Palantir is not just chasing government contracts—it's shaping the architecture of next-gen aviation. With Surf Air, it's buying more than stock—it's buying a seat at the table in the race to electrify and digitize the skies.

For investors, this nano-cap deal might just be a blip. But for Palantir, it looks like the runway to something much bigger.

Read Next:

• The Palantir Effect: Momentum Stocks Are Making A Killing Like Never Before

Photo: Shutterstock