Reno-based drone startup Flirtey announced this month it completed the technology to certify and expand U.S. production of its drone delivery system for last-mile delivery. According to a March 4 press release, the company’s technology includes the “Flirtey Eagle,” an advanced drone that conducts precision delivery to homes and businesses; the “Flirtey Portal,” a take-off and landing platform that conducts scalable operations from storefronts; and an autonomous software platform that conducts autonomous flight operations. According to the company, Flirtey’s technology “solves the last-mile delivery problem with faster, lower cost and more convenient delivery, which takes vehicles off the roads, reduces CO2 emissions and increases the overall safety of the transport system.” “Flirtey is certifying and expanding U.S. production of delivery drones to meet growing demand,” company founder and CEO Matthew Sweeny said in a statement. “Flirtey’s technology enables businesses to operate their own logistics by providing store-to-door drone delivery to customers. Businesses who use Flirtey’s best-in-class technology for last-mile drone delivery become first-movers to unlock lower delivery costs and billions in potential new revenue. “Flirtey is now taking pre-orders for drone delivery systems.” The news comes a few weeks after Flirtey announced in February it has successfully conducted multiple deliveries of at-home COVID-19 test kits in Northern Nevada during the initial phase of its test program. According to the March 4 press release, Flirtey now has more than 1,000 patent claims across a portfolio of granted and provisional patents, and has conducted more than 6,000 flights to date. The company previously raised roughly $15 million in its Series B Preferred Stock financing, which valued the company at approximately $100 million. Flirtey’s Series B investors include Hancock Prospecting, Lowercase Capital, Woowa Brothers, Ace Investment Partners, Amity Ventures, Y Combinator, members of the Sierra Angels, former CEO of the Commonwealth Bank Ian Narev, former Australian Ambassador to the United States of America Joe Hockey and Melissa Babbage (a member of Flirtey’s Board of Directors), and In-Q-Tel. “In-Q-Tel scouts the global market for cutting-edge technologies that have the potential for both commercial success and high national security impact, and we’re excited to be an investor in Flirtey, which has built best-in-class technology for last-mile drone delivery,” Andy Ku, Principal with In-Q-Tel, said in a statement. Up next, Flirtey is focused on “completing the FAA’s certification process, scaling fast in New Zealand where the company’s technology already has regulatory certification, and expanding U.S. production of delivery drones to meet growing demand,” according to the March 4 release.
