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Government Contractors | Technology | Aerospace 2025: TOM WALKER
FOUNDER & CEO, DRONEUP, VIRGINIA BEACH
Virginia Business //September 1, 2025//
Government Contractors | Technology | Aerospace 2025: TOM WALKER
FOUNDER & CEO, DRONEUP, VIRGINIA BEACH
Virginia Business //September 1, 2025//
Walker launched aerial drone services provider DroneUp in 2016 after spending 17 years as president of software company Web Teks. He also spent nearly 17 years as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
DroneUp partnered with Walmart in 2021 to deliver items by drone, expanding the retailer’s delivery network, but in December 2024, DroneUp and Walmart cut ties, ending operations and Walmart’s investment in the company.
In August 2024, DroneUp received FAA certification allowing it to expand commercial operations, and in January, it announced a partnership with Toronto-based Volatus Aerospace to streamline drone-based cargo delivery in the U.S.
In 2022, DroneUp announced it would establish a $20.2 million drone research center at Richard Bland College in Petersburg. It has also partnered with Carilion Clinic and Riverside Health System to deliver medications.
Walker has spoken about the need for a system to coordinate unmanned operations after reports of hundreds of incidents between drones and commercial airlines. He was named a Mid-Atlantic Entrepreneur of the Year by EY in 2024.
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