Sydney, Australia, 2017-Jun-24 — /Travel PR News/ — Qantas today announced the inaugural group of startups and scaleups selected to participate in the AVRO Accelerator program.
Designed in partnership with leading corporate accelerator Slingshot, AVRO gives entrepreneurs the chance to work with Qantas Group business units to develop, incubate and scale their businesses.
Six start up and six scale up businesses were selected from nearly 500 applications – the most ever for an Australian accelerator program. The cohort includes a mix of emerging and established businesses across traveltech, adtech, fintech, revenue management and data from Australia and USA.
Startups:
Aeroster (opens in new window) – A tool for pilots, cabin and ground crew to view and share rosters with family, friends and colleagues.
Coverhero (opens in new window) – An insurance Robo-advisor that helps to understand, buy and manage insurance in one place.
easyshare (opens in new window) – An online platform for bill splitting and payments.
Landmarx ID (opens in new window) – Uses mobile location data against known points of interest to provide clients customer insights.
Leezair (opens in new window) – An inspiration, discovery and booking platform for unique experiences.
Travelshoot (opens in new window) – Connects travellers with local professional photographers across the globe.
Scaleups:
Birch (opens in new window) – Helps users optimise their credit card and loyalty spending to maximise their rewards.
BoozeBud (opens in new window) – An alcohol discovery and delivery platform.
LoanDolphin (opens in new window) – A loan bidding marketplace in which banks and brokers compete for users home loans.
Meeco (opens in new window) –Data platform enabling individuals to control and exchange personal data on their own terms.
Pawshake (opens in new window) – A global network of loving and trustworthy pet minding services.
Volantio (opens in new window) – Optimises unit revenue and marketing performance for the travel industry.
Almost 40 per cent of applications were from scaleups – established businesses with proven teams and business models – and 30 per cent from outside Australia – the US, Europe and Asia – reflecting the Group’s unique global footprint and brand strength.
During the next several months, the selected startups and scaleups will work with industry-leading mentors and technology partners and have unique access to the scale and global reach of the Group’s brands and associated businesses.
Startups will accelerate their product development and customer traction, supported by a structured curriculum and mentorship program. In parallel, scaleups will work closely with relevant Group business units to streamline their path to potentially conduct a pilot, commercial and/or investment deal.
More information about the program is available at www.qantas.com/AVRO
SOURCE: Qantas Airways