30 Jul sees.ai and Aerospace Xelerated at Farnborough International Airshow 2024
From Monday 22nd to Friday 26th July, sees.ai was part of the first ever Aerospace Xelerated Innovation Zone at Farnborough International Airshow 2024.
Farnborough International Airshow (FIA), held at Farnborough Airport, is one of the largest international airshows in the British aviation calendar. The event brought together the biggest brands in aviation – and some of the most cutting-edge startups.
Inside the AX Innovation Zone
Aerospace Xelerated (AX) is a Boeing-led global aerospace accelerator and innovation programme. So far, AX has supported 42 startups from 15 countries – and a select group of these were presented at FIA 2024, in the first-ever AX Innovation Zone.
The Zone gave visitors access to representatives and displays from 16 AX portfolio startups. In turn, thought leaders and innovators from these companies participated in specially curated discussion panels, presentations, workshops and demos. From machine learning to autonomy to decarbonisation, these 16 startups shared sees.ai’s vision for the future of flight.
Innovative Panels, Insightful Discussions
Throughout the week, teams and speakers from these AX portfolio companies offered innovative answers to the aviation industry’s most pressing questions. Across a program of speeches and panel discussions, we heard from a huge range of perspectives.
On Wednesday 25th, sees.ai took part in a panel titled “Do Startups Need to Think Outside the [Sand]box to be Successful?”. Our CEO, John McKenna, shared the stage with Vicki Murdie (Future Flight Challenge Innovation Lead, UK Research and Innovation), Johanna Campion (Venture Partner, Aerospace Xelerated), and Anthony Venetz (CEO, Across Safety Development Ltd). It was a privilege to be reunited with our long-term partners, and we’re extremely grateful for this platform to share our experience.
Thank You to Aerospace Xelerated
sees.ai has been affiliated with AX since 2022, when this global aerospace accelerator invited us into their third cohort. We’ve received a huge amount of support over the years, and FIA 2024 is a perfect example. Through AX, we’ve been able to build a connection to the wider industry; sharing our vision, seizing transformative opportunities, and learning from our peers.
In her opening remarks, AX’s managing partner Nichola Bates perfectly encapsulated why it’s so important to have space for startups, especially at large events like FIA:
“By partnering with us large, established aerospace firms and government agencies, startups are helping us to accelerate the development and adoption of advanced technologies, propelling the industry forward … sometimes they just see the path much clearer than we do.”
We’d like to say a huge thank you to Nichola Bates, Jacqueline Davidson, Matt Briggs, Eva Strang, and the entire Aerospace Xelerated team for creating such a successful event. Also, thank you to partners and sponsors including Boeing and FIA for supporting this space for aerospace innovation.