Press Release

When they occur, in-flight medical emergencies are stressful and often complex situations for cabin crew to manage. Alexander Preston speaks to Anne Roberts, CEO of MIME Technologies, to discuss a new innovation to help the industry with onboard medical handling.

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Vital signs MIME

The latest startups to join the ATI Boeing Accelerator have been announced with 10 companies joining the programme.

The startups for the second cohort were selected from nearly 200 applications, from more than 40 countries and range from Hull to Queensland, and the US to Germany. Providing solutions for the aerospace industry such as software to support inflight medical events and emergencies and behavioural science technologies to reduce airlines’ greenhouse gas emissions.

To date, the nine companies that have been a part of the ATI Boeing Accelerator’s first cohort have raised over £8 million, created more than 60 jobs, and received £1.2m in grant funding in the final quarter of 2020. They have gone on to partner with businesses including Rolls-Royce and Chevron Technology Ventures. Most recently, Intellegens, part of the first cohort to join the programme, has announced it is leading a new project in partnership with Boeing and the University of Sheffield, applying its machine learning technology to make the additive manufacturing (AM) process of metallic alloys for aerospace cheaper and faster, to support net-zero targets for aviation.

The accelerator was created in partnership by the Aerospace Technology Institute and Boeing and is delivered by European accelerator Ignite. GKN Aerospace is the programme’s corporate sponsor and Rolls-Royce recently joined as a programme partner. The first cohort was in person in London and concluded just as Covid-related travel restrictions were beginning. The second cohort will be virtual.

Of the almost 200 applications, 90 per cent of the businesses applying were focussed on Industry 4.0 technologies and products, while 10% were providing sustainability-focussed solutions. 44% of the applicants were from outside the aerospace industry, 26% of the founders were female, 42% were minority-founded, and 33% were first-time founders.

Gabriela Matic, programme director of ATI Boeing Accelerator (pictured), said: “The quality of applications for our second cohort was exceptional and we’re delighted to welcome our 10 new startups to join the programme. Like everyone, we’ve had to adapt our ways of working due to the pandemic and we noticed an increase in the number of companies applying from outside the UK as virtual programming becomes more common due to restricted travel. This period in time also presents a great opportunity for startups, and for our partners in aerospace, to work together and solve industry problems.”

The startups benefit from a possible £100,000 equity investment from Boeing HorizonX Global Ventures and access to ATI, Boeing, GKN Aerospace and Rolls-Royce strategists and technical experts. Mentoring is available from a global network of experienced entrepreneurs, mentors and investors, and introductions will be made to the programme’s network of angel investors, venture capital firms and the wider aerospace industry.

The 10 startups joining the programme in January include:

Ai Build (London) Has developed an AI-powered software platform that delivers the world’s fastest and most reliable large-scale additive manufacturing

AireXpert (Buffalo & Minneapolis) Enables real-time collaboration tools for airlines and other aircraft operators to reduce delays, lower labour and operating costs, and reduce compliance risk

Datch (San Francisco) An intelligent voice AI for industry, enabling frontline workers to capture system information using voice in real-time and intelligently integrating into company databases

HiiROC (Hull) Unique and innovative plasma technology enables a low cost and low emission process for synthetic fuel and hydrogen generation

Makersite (Munich), A cloud-based product management platform that uses artificial intelligence and graph technologies to understand and improve products from the perspective of their regulatory compliance, environmental impact, supply risk and cost of production

MIME Technologies (Edinburgh & Inverness), Remote medical software to support inflight medical events and emergencies, specifically designed for altitude

Phycobloom (London) Using synthetic biology to reduce the cost of algae biofuels by forcing them to secrete their oil where it can be cheaply collected

Productive Machines (Sheffield, UK), Delivers software that maximises sustainability of machining processes by reducing costs, eliminating waste and improving productivity

SensaWeb (Queensland), Real-time radiation monitoring solution

Signol (London), The world’s first software to use behavioural science to reduce airlines’ greenhouse gas emissions and increase profits and job satisfaction

The second cohort comes from three continents, 40% are female and minority ethnic founded, 40% are first-time founders, 40% are from outside the aerospace industry and 20% are re-applicants. Six of the startups are sustainability-based, two are focused on Industry 4.0 and two are focused on energy. Collectively they have raised nearly £13m to date, with 20% at the pre-seed stage (bootstrapped or grant-funded), 40% at seed stage and 30% beyond the seed stage.

Brian Schettler, Boeing HorizonX Global Ventures, senior managing director, commented: “We’re thrilled to be leading this programme again with ATI, especially given the focus on sustainability. Boeing is committed to developing innovative technologies and solutions that allow for safe and sustainable air travel for generations to come but it takes partnerships and collaboration like this to be successful. Given the success of the first cohort, I’m confident that we will again work together with these startups and program partners to address our industry’s most critical issues.”

Gary Elliott, chief executive of the Aerospace Technology Institute, added: “The ATI are very excited to welcome ten innovative startups to the second cohort of the ATI Boeing Accelerator. This year’s programme will be in a different environment to last year’s. We have moved most of our content to the virtual world and we’ll be making connections digitally rather than in person. We’re also pleased to be joined by Rolls-Royce, who will provide an excellent team of mentors and experts alongside our existing programme sponsors – Boeing and GKN Aerospace.

“Despite the challenges that the sector continues to face, we must continue to find areas of innovation and growth as the world slowly but surely recovers from the pandemic. This accelerator programme is an opportunity to bring innovators, investors, experts and entrepreneurs together in the same (virtual) space. Good luck to each of the ten startups in this year’s cohort and we look forward to working with you in the coming months.”

www.atiboeingaccelerator.com

I would like to give you an update on our weekly discussions with the DfT negotiation team on permits. This week we have seen a range of responses from our members which are helping us and the negotiating team build a really good picture as to what is happening. There are certainly some member states who are being very supportive with the new process and we have seen permits being granted where that might not have been expected. Indeed, since the last brief, at least 6 Member States are now accepting permit free 3rd and 4th Freedom flights, so we are progressing, albeit slower than we would all wish.

Unfortunately, we have seen some member states being very process focused, making approvals somewhat protracted at best. However, the DfT have shared examples with us where they have helped facilitate 7th Freedom flights within the EU. So we just want to reinforce that the DfT team is available to help as per the contacts given previously.

The other important point to make is that there are particular efforts being made by some member states to deliver better service than the projected 48 hours detailed in the application. In fact we can confirm that the French have been supporting applications outside business hours, which is really positive to hear. Therefore, we encourage members not to be put off by the initial requirements that you might have seen: things are evolving and we urge you to make an approach rather than lose your business and advise us of the outcome. DfT can then use it as an example of best practice within the Trade and Cooperation Agreement when negotiating with less helpful member states.

The DfT team have been in discussion this week with member states and will also be having informal discussions with the EU, to see if anything can be done to simplify and standardise the process. They are also keen to ensure compliance with other EU requirements when finalising each bi-lateral agreement.

Please keep sending in your examples of good and bad permit applications, plus don’t forget anything that prevents you contracting for work you have previously secured. Finally if you find yourself utilising wet leases or sub-contracts to complete a task, then our colleagues at the DfT are very keen to hear examples.