Sweeny earned a bachelor's degree in international relations and philosophy from the University of Sydney.
[citation needed] He became interested in unmanned aerial vehicles while studying economics in Shanghai, China on a scholarship and exchange program.
[3] 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.
[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.