The Future of Aerospace Xelerated: Introducing our New Programme Model
Over the last four years, thanks to the cooperation and support of our dedicated partners, the Aerospace Xelerated programme has blossomed into one of the aerospace industry’s leading innovation and accelerator programmes.
Since 2019, thanks to the support of industry partners, including the Boeing Company and Tawazun Council, Aerospace Xelerated has helped 40 tech startups across 14 countries and 12 industries access critical investment, mentorship and support.
Beyond our initial £100,000 investment, our startups have raised over £200M, created over 750+ new, high-skill technical jobs, and supported accelerating innovation within the aerospace sector and beyond. We are proud to say that many global organisations have worked with Aerospace Xelerated companies as partners or mentors, including Etihad, GKN Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, KPMG, PWC, Frazer-Nash, Chevron Technology Ventures, EasyJet, and many more.
As a program committed to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the aerospace industry, we are pleased to say that amongst our last cohort´s founding teams, 80% are first-time founders, 50% have a female founder, and 40% of the companies are seed stage.
There are two main reasons for our programme´s success to date:
Firstly, collaboration is the foundation of everything we do at Aerospace Xelerated. By pooling resources and expertise, we have accelerated the development of groundbreaking solutions. The programme has become a testament to the power of collaboration between diverse startups, public and private industry stakeholders working together to drive innovation in an industry that is often notoriously difficult to break into and navigate but in dire need of evolution.
Secondly, we are constantly observing the market and making changes to align with the evolving needs of the market. Flexibility and adaptability are crucial aspects of running a successful corporate accelerator programme. Today’s corporate innovation landscape is changing, with stakeholders seeking solutions that deliver measurable positive impacts, direct results, and help them improve operational performance.
Looking ahead, our vision for the programme is to take what we have learned and multiply the positive impacts and benefits for our existing and future stakeholders by transitioning to our new and improved “always on” model.
Introducing the New ¨Always On¨ Programme: How It Works
Following the new “always on” model, the programme will run year-round, with Aerospace Xelerated scouting, selecting and matching two to three startups each quarter with corporate and government partners to solve clearly defined innovation challenges affecting their organisations.
Benefits for participating startups
Each startup will receive up to £200,000 in funding to execute a proof of concept (PoC) contract if selected. Proof of concept contracts are preliminary agreements that demonstrate the feasibility of a concept or idea to validate its potential before committing to a full-scale implementation or investment.
The startups will also have the option of receiving a total of £200,000 Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE investment) from Boeing and Tawazun and perks valuing more than £100,000 from partners, including Oracle, Amazon, HubSpot, Digital Ocean and many more.
The opportunity to work on a fully funded proof of concept project will allow selected startups to develop, refine and validate their product or service solution with an established industry partner. This will provide startups credibility and open the door to additional funding opportunities and business prospects.
This new model will benefit new and existing AX companies, as both will be eligible to apply to corporate challenges.
Benefits for corporate and government programme partners
Likewise, collaborating corporate and government partner organisations will benefit from bringing tech innovation in-house to affordably, efficiently and effectively solve real challenges their organisations face. This includes our support in scouting and selecting suitable startups- from our existing portfolio or globally- to execute defined Proof of Concept projects and solve clear strategic challenges efficiently and effectively.
This new model offers past, current, and future AX partners an opportunity to expedite bringing outside innovation and R&D into their organisations to help solve problems and meet customer demands more efficiently and effectively.
Learn More about Aerospace Xelerated and Get Involved
Visit our website or contact us to learn more about the new Aerospace Xelerated programme and how you can join us as a corporate partner or startup. We will be happy to share more details with you, answer questions and discuss any ideas you may have.
We are excited about the new direction of the programme. Ultimately, our goal is to multiply the benefits and impacts of the programme moving forward for you, our valued startups, partners, investors, and supporters.
We look forward to connecting with other like-minded individuals and organisations and hope to work together to drive meaningful innovation within the aerospace and beyond- delivering scalable and sustainable solutions for all.
