Makani claims that mounting the turbines on a wing is more efficient as large numbers can be built with fewer materials than traditional tower-based turbines.
Rather than use fixed turbines to generate power, Makani has been experimenting with "flying wings" adorned with several smaller turbines that act as propellers as the craft takes off.
In a statement posted to its website, Makani said the deal would "provide Makani with the resources to accelerate our work to make wind energy cost competitive with fossil fuels".
Fully working models will be larger and, Makani hopes, be able to generate 600 kW. It hopes the cost of the power generated will initially be competitive with off-shore wind farms.
The wind energy industry lost a pioneer last month when Corwin Hardham, the athletic, kitesurfing CEO of Makani Power, died at his desk at the age of 38.
His death hits Makani hard because its founder is irreplaceable: a Stanford-trained engineer who pushed the edge of design, an able leader who snared funding from Google and the ARPA-E, and a handsome windsurfing champion who knew the power of the wind firsthand.