Hangar 51 finalists chosen
From more than 400 applications in 40 countries, IAG selected 28 start-ups to present their innovative products and services before a judging panel at a pitch day earlier this month.
The start-ups will be embedded in the heart of IAG for 10 weeks where they will be working side by side with mentors and experts from across the Group. Based in London, the programme gives entrepreneurs a real taste of corporate life with access to resources to develop, shape and test their products.
The Hangar 51 finalists are:
- 30K is a US start-up which provides an application programming interface (API) that populates flight search results detailing the fare’s mileage earning and frequent flyer benefits.
- Assaia is a Swiss start-up which feeds airport ramp video footage into the airlines’ networks to set up more efficient aircraft turnarounds.
- Biobeat is an Israeli startup which has developed a wearable medical monitoring device suitable for cabin crew, pilots and travellers.
- Emu Analytics creates real-time analytics and data to track cargo and baggage containers.
- LuckyTrip has created an app which uses artificial intelligence (AI) for travellers to find unique trips with one tap. Users set their budget, tap the “Lucky” button and instantly see a trip to hundreds of destinations in Europe.
- Mobilus Labs offers a wearable voice communications platform which enables teams to connect from various environments.
- Satavia provides airlines with decision intelligence to make aviation smarter. The cloud-based platform uses a combination of satellite earth observation data, numerical weather prediction and aircraft tracking to optimise maintenance and flight operations.
- Signol develops software which focuses on fuel efficiency by analysing operational data and provides feedback to pilots to help reduce CO2 emissions.
- Skylights has developed a Virtual Reality (VR) headset that offers a true movie theatre experience, enabling passengers to watch in-flight entertainment in 2D, 3D and 180°.
- Soter Analytics specialises in wearable health devices for airport ramp operations staff to prevent physical injuries in workplaces.
Dupsy Abiola, IAG’s head of global innovation, said: “We are very excited to collaborate with this year’s start-ups and harness their potential to transform the future of travel. Hangar 51 enables start-ups to accelerate their business growth through mentorship and access to one of the world’s largest airline groups. It’s a fertile ground for start-ups because they can be eyeball-to-eyeball with us and IAG has the opportunity to explore new applications in areas of emerging technology and user experience.”
The Hangar 51 accelerator programme starts this week and demo day will be held in London on 14 December 2018.
Finalist and ADS member Satavia - which offers decision intelligence for aviation to reduce the financial impact of aircraft flight operations in atmospheric contaminants like dust, air pollution and volcanic ash - will be working with the engineering and digital transformation teams to come up with specific Proofs of Concepts for the airline industry around smarter maintenance leading to reduced costs and increase flight safety.
Satavia CEO Dr Adam Durant (right) said: “We are thrilled to be part of Hangar 51 and are looking forward to building a strong relationship with IAG.
"This honed product suite will complement the existing business of working with the leading aero-engine Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) on data analytics for the main engine types currently flying passenger aircraft."
The Hangar 51 programme concludes on 16 December 2018 with a presentation to IAGs senior management team and potential investment and further business with the Group.
