Boeing opens Aerospace Xelerated calls for startups
Boeing has opened applications for its "Aerospace Xelerated" scheme to offer to fund both aerospace and tech startups designed to tackle some of the pressing issues of the aviation sector.
Formerly known as the "ATI Boeing Accelerator" programme, it has raised roughly £20 million (€23.35 million) in funding since being founded in 2019 and has reportedly created over 100 jobs and partnered with a number of players from GKN Aerospace to Rolls-Royce.
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Successful applicants will be solving challenges for the aerospace sector, ranging from autonomous navigation to reduced workload.
Startups accepted on the programme will be given a £100,000 (€116,000) investment from Boeing, while also having access to strategists and technical experts and support in developing proof of concepts.
The programme should last around 12 weeks, during which the startups will be introduced to networking opportunities, opportunities within venture capital and to get involved with the side aerospace industry.
The programme is also offering mentorship from industry experts alongside £100,000 (€116,000) in programme perks from partners ranging from Google and Amazon to Stripe and Digital Ocean.
The scheme is also looking for potential applicants from the fields of generative design, smart maintenance, adaptive learning and aerospace AI. Companies must be late seed-stage, software only and working with AI or autonomous technology.
Nichola Bates, a managing partner at Aerospace Xelerated and the head of global accelerators and innovation programmes at Boeing said: "We’ve had great success with our previous two cohorts and we’re excited to take the new programme forward this year.
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"At Boeing, we believe there is a huge opportunity for innovative startups focussed on autonomy and AI to disrupt every aspect of aerospace, from the supply chain to onboard customer service and we’re eager to double down and support more businesses.
"We’ve seen incredible leaps forward in aerospace and connected industries in the past 12-months, and we know we can offer startups looking to operate in this space an incredible advantage.”
Applications close on September 26, with the next phase of the programme set to run between January and March 2022
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