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Accelerate@IATA is the first industry-owned travel tech accelerator where airlines and startups converge for innovation.
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Launched in 2019, this program aims to accelerate the pace of innovation in the air transport industry by connecting airlines with innovative startups that have been vetted by IATA for their impactful solutions on the future of the industry and potential longevity.
The goal of the program is to establish pilot opportunities between startups and member airlines of Accelerate@IATA.
Each group of selected startups goes through a dynamic program, where they are granted access to IATA Subject Matter Experts' mentor network, and assistance in implementation of pilots with airlines.
Find comprehensive answers to common questions about the Accelerate@IATA program.
What are the program goals?
- To reduce friction points throughout startup-airline collaborations by providing capacity-building resources. This will ensure that the innovation ecosystem can better understand and engage with the aviation industry.
- To increase the number of pilots between the partners and the startups by providing tailored support to both parties. With this, Accelerate@IATA aims to foster interest in these collaborative opportunities and increase the number of successful pilots.
- The initiative seeks to expedite the cycle of innovation by thoroughly vetting startups through IATA' selection process and enabling airlines to choose suitable startups that align with their needs.
How does Accelerate@IATA work?
Below, you will discover the comprehensive workflow detailing how the program operates.
What is the program roadmap?
- ACCELERATE: The primary objectives are to find solutions for airlines that accelerate standard development & adoption of standards, and stimulate competition to bring new entrants to the market.
- IDENTIFY & SELECT RELEVANT STARTUPS: Collaboratively, the partners define the focus of the program and select the startups that best fit their needs.
- MAP SOLUTION & DEMAND: During the 1-month program, IATA subject matter experts help the startups to develop innovative solutions to meet airline requirements and take care of the onboarding work, freeing up airline resources.
- IMPLEMENTATION: The goal is to start a pilot and implementation between new entrants and airline partners at the end of the program.
What are the benefits for airlines?
- Access to global, stage-agnostic startups and technology providers that have the potential to increase airline revenues, reduce costs, increase operational efficiency and build brand loyalty
- Savings on innovation costs compared to internal development
- Access to new technologies that meet the industry standards.
- Startups and technologies vetted by IATA to ensure they meet industry guidance/standards, and that the startups are financially viable.
- Focus on Modern Airline Retailing Program
- Shorter program reducing time to market
What are the benefits for startups?
- Access to IATA’s global network of airlines and value chain partners for pilot and implementation opportunities
- Access to expertise and market knowledge
- Industry mentorship
- Tailored educational program to increase knowledge of the aviation industry and improve their solutions
- Access to industry trends and knowledge
How does the startup sourcing process work?
- Inbound: The Accelerate@IATA team will publish information on the upcoming themes and program contact details on their personal and corporate social media profiles and landing pages. This initiative aims to raise awareness of the program within the innovation ecosystem and encourage startups to actively engage with the program.
- Outbound: In addition, the team will utilize manual sourcing techniques, which encompass, but are not limited to, the use of existing databases like Crunchbase, Tracxn, and similar platforms. They will also employ Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) methods, such as event and portfolio scrapping, LinkedIn searches, etc., to identify relevant startups for each theme and priority area.
- Referrals: Through cultivating relationships with Accelerators, Ecosystem promoter agencies, Angel Investors, and Venture Capital Funds, Accelerate@IATA aims to establish a network of qualified partners capable of providing program information to their own networks. Additionally, they will suggest the most relevant startups for each segment from all around the world
Overall, the sourcing process is estimated to take 2 full months.
Explore past batch records to gain valuable insights through recordings. Analyze innovation trends, identify improvements the industry has made in addressing pain points using emerging technologies, and develop insight for future solutions.
2023
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SEGMENT 4 (March 2023 - May 2023) - Improved User Experience |
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SEGMENT 5 (August 2023 - October 2023) - Digital Identity Management |
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SEGMENT 6 (October 2023 - December 2023) - Delivering on New Partnerships for Offers and Orders |
2022
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SEGMENT 1 (February 2022 - May 2022) - Customer Verification and Identity
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SEGMENT 2 (June 2022 - September 2022) - Future of Interlining |
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SEGMENT 3 (June 2022 - September 2022) - Customer as the Reference |
2020 - 2021
Batch 1
Batch 1 aimed to innovate airline offerings through targeted products in NDC, ONE Order, dynamic offerings, innovative payments, and sustainability. In February 2020, 9 startups (including 30k, App in the air, Smooss, Bacarai, Deepair, WonderMiles, Ulysse, Aeronology, Airnguru) were chosen globally for their solutions.
Unfortunately, due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Batch 1 launch was postponed.
Batch "Restart"
In September 2020, Accelerate@IATA shifted the focus of the program from digital retailing to the industry restart priorities, such as stimulating demand, enhancing passenger confidence, and increasing operational efficiency. IATA created a restart plan to give broad guidance to airlines. Accelerate followed the the focus areas of this plan to present targeted solutions to airlines that fit this guidance and that offered immediate benefits.
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SEGMENT 1 (15 September 2020 - 15 October 2020) - Anticipate Demand: Understand demand and adjust supply.
Selected startups: 3Victors, Migacore, Flyr Labs, Airnguru, Prevedere, PredictHQ, Volantio Access the Session Recording. |
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SEGMENT 2 (8 October 2020- 8 November 2020) - Stimulate Demand: Incentivize passengers to fly again.
Selected startups: GoQuo, Caravelo, HiKoala, Plusgrade, Smartvel, Dohop, Deepair, AirBlackBox Access the Session Recording. |
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SEGMENT 3 (22 October 2020 - 22 November 2020) - Passenger Confidence: Restore passenger confidence and improve experience on the ground.
Selected startups: 15 Below, Journera, Airportr, Bagchain, Elenium, App in the Air and Ditto Access the Session Recording |
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SEGMENT 4 (10 November 2020 - 10 December 2020) - Operational Efficiency
Selected startups: i6, PiSolution, Jiffy.ai, Assaia, Mindsay, Levarti, Optiqo, Springshot Access the Session Recording |
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SEGMENT 5 (28 January 2021 - 29 March 2021) - Contactless & Seamless Passenger Journey
Selected Startups:Iomob, PXCom, VenueNext, Immfly, Bob.io, Gladly You can access the list of startups through our Segment 5 Startup Booklet and Session Recording. |
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SEGMENT 6 (21 April 2021 - 20 June 2021) - Health Credentials: The short-term and long-term issues surrounding health credentials in the aviation industry and how to give passengers control over their data.
Selected Startups: Mattr, Accredify, Convergence.tech, ixlayer, Evernym. |
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SEGMENT 7 ( 22 June 2021 - 20 August 2021) - Sustainability
Selected Startups: IBA, Thrust Carbon, Lumitics, The Concept, Sylvera, Chooose, Pachama You can access the list of startups through our Segment 7 Startup Booklet and Session Recording. |
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SEGMENT 8 (7 July 2021 - 5 September 2021) - AI & Data-Driven Solutions for Environmental Impact
Selected Startups: seeTrue, Omnevo, BagsID, Nexteon, Greener Clarity, Signol You can access the list of startups through our Segment 8 Startup Booklet. |
2019
Batch 0
Batch 0's focus was to find solutions which could accelerate NDC Capabilities and address distribution limitations such as product differentiations, time-to-time market and access to full, rich content with a transparent shopping experience.
The following 7 startups participated in the program and addressed the following areas. For more information, check out Batch 0 report (pdf).
| Startup | Areas Addressed |
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| Caravelo |
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| Duffel |
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| Kyte |
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| Migacore |
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| PK Fare |
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| Thomalex |
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| Winglet |
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The Accelerate@IATA program is designed for airlines and other travel value chain partners eager to collaborate in an open innovation environment. This initiative focuses on identifying, assisting, developing, and financing start-ups.
Curious About Past Accelerate@IATA Success Stories?
Explore the advantages for your airline with Accelerate@IATA in driving digital transformation! Watch engaging live presentations showcasing success stories from both startups and airlines in the video below.
Gain insights from an interview with Etihad's innovation champion and program alumni, FullStory. Additionally, discover the implementation results of two former batch startups collaborating with various airlines.
Etihad and Full Story Pilot
The FullStory and Etihad Pilot focused on optimizing UX/UI design, reducing error pages, and decreasing time to insight at key customer journey points: booking, check-in, and post-sell flows. Over a 28-day period with 7.7 million sessions, FullStory aimed to increase conversion rates and decrease clicks to book. The pilot successfully identified opportunities for improvement and reduced time to insight by 50%. Both FullStory and Etihad view the pilot as a success and plan to continue collaboration in future web improvement plans.
Migacore
Migacore is a startup from the first Accelerate@IATA segment in 2021 'Batch Restart'. The document showcases the implementation efforts during their time in the program. As an alumni, they maintain a relationship with Etihad, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa.
Duffel
Duffel was a member of 'Batch 0', the first of Accelerate@IATA dating back to 2019. During the course of their tenure in the program, they had the opportunity to participate in 4 implementations. Today, they work with a large set of airlines, including American Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways and SWISS, to name a few.
