My first month at the ATI Boeing Accelerator
It’s been an exciting first month for me at the ATI Boeing Accelerator; from startup scouting to selection, we’ve been moving quickly with the programme. But first: what are we doing and why are we here?
We are here to help accelerate world-class startups creating industry 4.0 and sustainability enabling technologies. I’m joining the Programme team — Wil Benton and Gabriela Matic — and we are working together with the Aerospace Technology Institute to deliver this programme over 12 weeks in London. We are incredibly lucky to have our partners — Boeing and GKN Aerospace — onboard to provide the technical and strategic expertise to our startups.
The UK has one of the largest aerospace industries in the world with investment in 2017 coming to £2.5 billion, of which £1.5b was R&T. Where better to run this programme than Europe’s leading tech hub? While innovation is happening across industries, from healthcare to finance, I’m particularly excited to build out the infrastructure needed to support the aerospace ecosystem in the UK, both from the startup and corporate perspective.
This programme is truly special as it’s designed to support startups by breaking down the barriers to entry to the corporate world. Simultaneously, we’re working together with our corporate partners to help bring UK aerospace to the forefront and adapt to the new dynamic environment of tech — be that AI, ML, VR or voice technology.
So here’s what we’ve been up to over the last 5 weeks…
Finding the startups
Over the course of 6 weeks, we scouted for startups that are working or could have an impact on the aerospace industry and, with more than 250 applications, we were delighted to receive so much interest.
We leveraged the Ignite network and startup ecosystem as well as the knowledge and connections of the ATI, Boeing and GKN Aerospace to find the best companies. We were looking for a few things in the prospective startups: their current needs as a business, what benefits they could get from an accelerator like ours — all while identifying the possible POCs they could run with our partners.
We heard from ambitious founders developing tech solutions in everything from blockchain for supply chain and design tools to additives and materials and automation.
Connecting with founders
For over 3 years, I’ve had the privilege of working directly with founders in tech and I’ve always enjoyed supporting the vision and strategising for the future of the company the most.
There was nothing more exciting than joining the Programme team at a time when they were connecting with founders in person and by phone. From those first office hours (and we did over 200!), it was clear what the startups needed: the technical and strategic expertise from our partners to help adapt their technology to aerospace. This is no small challenge for startups, given that aerospace is heavily regulated and corporates often opt for moving forward with trusted suppliers.
The most rewarding feeling was the “Yes!” moment when we spoke with an awesome startup, that received great technical and commercial feedback from our partners and made it to Selection Day.
Selecting the cohort
Then came the final application review and the interviews: “What’s your secret sauce?”
During selection week, we asked tough questions and tried to dig deeper to find out the real value that these startups could deliver to the aerospace sector. We considered many factors including:
- Is it an idea or a product?
- Is it a scalable business?
- Does it solve a pain point for the industry?
It was a difficult decision-making process for the Selection Committee but, out of the 30 brilliant shortlisted startups we interviewed on the day, we selected the top 10 that really had a differentiated and unique solution in the market.
And now: we’re here to support and accelerate
For consumers in 2019, the need for faster, safer and overall better mobility is evident. It’s clear that the aerospace industry will experience a shift from a technological perspective while maintaining a strong focus on environmental factors. We can’t wait to help accelerate this change and adoption and be part of this incredible journey.
The next phase is a critical moment for the entire team as we work closely with our partners to deliver a programme that covers technology, strategy, investment, sales and beyond to our first cohort. We look forward to revealing our selected startups and sharing more about why we believe they are at the forefront of disrupting the aerospace industry in the next few weeks.
If you’re a startup founder interested in applying for the next cohort, sign up to our mailing list to stay up to date on when applications for our second cohort (which starts September 2020) open.
We are also always looking to hear from potential partners, investors and stakeholders on how we can create the best programme for aerospace startups in the UK. If you’d like to have a chat, please get in touch!
For more information, please contact the ATI Boeing Accelerator team:
Gabi Matic — gm@atiboeingaccelerator.com | linkedin.com/in/gabrielamatic
Wil Benton — wb@atiboeingaccelerator.com | linkedin.com/in/fatkidonfire
Ksenia Kurileva — kk@atiboeingaccelerator.com | linkedin.com/in/kseniakurileva
