The company was founded in Australia in 2013 by
Matt Sweeny, Ahmed Haider and Tom Bass. The company relocated to the Reno, Nevada area in 2014 after partnering with the
University of Nevada, Reno. Flirtey completed the first FAA-approved drone delivery in July 2015, when it delivered medical supplies to a health clinic in
Wise, Virginia. In August 2015, Flirtey graduated from the Silicon Valley seed accelerator,
Y Combinator. In March 2016, the company flew the first federally sanctioned drone delivery in an urban area without the assistance of a human operator when it carried emergency supplies to a house in
Hawthorne, Nevada. to complete the first ship to shore drone delivery in the United States in June 2016. The FAA-approved flight consisted of two parts. First, the drone delivering medical samples flew from land to a barge floating in New Jersey's
Delaware Bay. Then, the drone was loaded with medical supplies and delivered its cargo to the
Cape May–Lewes Ferry terminal. In July 2016, Flirtey partnered with
7-Eleven to complete its first fully autonomous FAA-approved home delivery to a residence in Reno, Nevada. This was the first time a U.S. customer has been delivered a package by a drone. In January 2017, Flirtey raised $16 million in Series A funding led by
Menlo Ventures. Flirtey was also included on CNBC's Disrupter 50 list in 2018. In October 2021, the company announced a partnership with
Mesa Air Group involving an order of four drones with an option for 50 more. Mesa plans to use Flirtey Eagle drones to begin conducting food and beverage deliveries. On 26 February 2024, Sweeney announced on LinkedIn that the company was shutting down. == References ==