Matt Sweeny

Matthew Sweeny is an Australian-born American aviation and technology entrepreneur and inventor.[1] He is the co-founder and CEO of Flirtey, a drone delivery service.

Education

Sweeny earned a bachelor's degree in international relations and philosophy from the University of Sydney.

He became interested in unmanned aerial vehicles while studying economics in Shanghai, China on a scholarship and exchange program.[2] He built the prototype delivery drones in his dorm room.[3]

Career

After graduating, Sweeny co-founded Flirtey with Ahmed Haider and Tom Bass in 2013, as the first drone delivery service in the world.[4] He moved to the United States in 2014 and based his company in Reno, Nevada, because the city was chosen by the Federal Aviation Administration as one of six test sites for commercial drones.[5] He partnered with the University of Nevada, Reno, established a Flirtey office on campus,[6] and hired graduates from the university’s Unmanned Autonomous Systems program.[7]

In 2014, Sweeny submitted evidence to the Internal Market, Infrastructure and Employment Sub-Committee of the House of Lords European Union Committee On The Civilian Use of Drones in the EU.[8]

After moving Flirtey to the United States, Sweeny was selected in Y Combinator’s summer 2015 program.[9][10]

In 2018, Sweeny was included on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list.[11]

In 2023, Sweeny has directed the demise of his company with zero returns to investors.

References
  1. "Australian start-up taking on Google, Amazon in drone delivery race". ABC. 17 May 2016.
  2. Lim, Jason. "Drone Startup Flirtey Partners with The University of Nevada, Reno To Push UAV Delivery Forward". Forbes.
  3. "The Aussie Drone Company Revolutionising A Multi-Billion-Dollar Industry". GQ. 31 March 2017.
  4. Daniel, Zoe (17 May 2016). "Game of Drones". Foreign Correspondent. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  5. Smiley, Lauren (5 October 2014). "Reno: The biggest little drone city in the world?". The California Sunday Magazine.
  6. "UNR to conduct drone research with Australian company". Reno Gazette Journal. September 2, 2014.
  7. Lavars, Nick. "Flirtey delivery drone startup spreads its wings". New Atlas.
  8. "Written evidence - Flirtey". data.parliament.uk.
  9. "Hardware Demo Day". Tech Crunch. August 18, 2015.
  10. Townsend, Tess (Summer 2015). "5 of the Most Interesting Startups From Y Combinator Demo Day". Inc.
  11. "2018 Disruptor 50: No. 29 Flirtey". CNBC. 22 May 2018.


"This Pioneering Entrepreneur Shares Why You Should Study Philosophy Rather Than Business".

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