CHICAGO, Nov. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Valqari, the award winning Chicago-based start-up specializing in deploying fully autonomous drone networks, has acquired the patent portfolio of the industry pioneer, Flirtey, later rebranded as Skydrop, the first drone delivery company, launched in 2012. "With Skydrop filing for insolvency, it was important to us to strike a deal to continue to develop and deploy their critical systems," says Ryan Walsh, CEO and Founder of Valqari. "We immediately saw the value in this portfolio, especially when combined with ours," says Walsh.
The inventions covered under the Skydrop portfolio include multiple patents focused on safe parachute deployments, both with and without continued navigation and steering by the drone.
These cover a large majority of the current commercial configurations. It includes the vast majority of the commercially used winches and other key systems including drone hangers and drone centering systems, both of which are ubiquitous in the drone industry. With a significant majority of these assets being in the US and the EU, it expand Valqari's current portfolio in each region, which is currently 17 granted US Patents, and 37 granted EU patents to 79 granted patents globally. "This also strengthens our portfolios in Australia and South Africa as well," Walsh said, giving some insight into the markets that Valqari is focusing on with their portfolio.
Valqari's drones and landing stations are designed to offer the most secure, reliable, and efficient drone delivery experience possible. The teams are confident these new technologies will strengthen their offering, especially as they begin to position themselves for increased licensing and technical transfer offerings in 2026. "Our goal is to make technology available to other companies to streamline their product development and ensure access to best in class systems. Valqari has built a global team of experts that specialize in patent licensing and enforcement, to help companies license any or all of the patented technologies with a very simple license agreement.
In the new Technology Transfer Program, Valqari's Technology Transfer companies are assigned a Valqari Team Member to be their point of contact, providing support 24/7 as needed, to walk their team through each of the products provided, allowing that company to build, operate, maintain, and deploy any and all Valqari systems. This includes weeks of training and certification to ensure that standards are met across the board, and that their Tech Transfer Partners operate to the same high standards that Valqari team members do. "This expands the potential for the industry to accelerate its evolution with proven technologies, said Walsh." "The potential of this acquisition is tremendous, and we believe it will provide next-generation technology to the way Valqari currently operates their systems," he concludes.Â
Impact on the Drone Delivery Market:
The combined patent portfolios establish Valqari as the exclusive provider of key technologies for drones and landing stations that will be required for companies to operate under the new Part 108 regulations going into effect in 2026 in the USA. These portfolios secure Valqari's continued leadership well into the next decade. It has the potential to significantly disrupt the competitive landscape for drone systems globally.. Competitors operating in the United States will now need to explore alternative solutions or consider licensing agreements with Valqari to continue their operations legally. This landmark acquisition positions Valqari as the unrivaled industry leader within the United States, solidifying its position as the preferred provider of cutting-edge drone delivery technology.
Valqari, a Chicago-based start-up founded in 2017, was recognized as one of the Best Tech Startups in North America by Tech in Motion, and named an 1871 Momentum and Chicago Innovation Award Winner, as well as one of Pepperdine's Most Fundable Companies. They are pioneers of groundbreaking technology in the drone delivery space. With its patented DronePort, Valqari has successfully overcome the challenges of the "last inch" logistics problem, revolutionizing the drone and logistics industries. Valqari holds utility patents in the U.S., U.K., Germany, China, Australia, South Africa, various European Union countries, and more. Discover more about Valqari's innovative drone delivery solutions at www.valqari.com, and join us as we redefine the future of logistics.
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