Qantas recently 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 chosen include:
Aeroster – A tool for pilots, cabin and ground crew to view and share rosters with family, friends and colleagues.
Coverhero – An insurance Robo-advisor that helps to understand, buy and manage insurance in one place.
easyshare – An online platform for bill splitting and payments, it collects everyone’s share of rent and bills, and pays it for you.
Landmarks ID – Uses mobile location data against known points of interest to provide clients with customer insights.
Leezair – An inspiration, discovery and booking platform for unique experiences.
Travelshoot – Connects travellers with local professional photographers across the globe.
Scaleups chosen include:
Birch – Helps users optimise their credit card and loyalty spending to maximise their rewards.
BoozeBud – An alcohol discovery and delivery platform.
LoanDolphin – A loan bidding marketplace in which banks and brokers compete for users home loans.
Meeco –Data platform enabling individuals to control and exchange personal data on their own terms.
Pawshake – A global network of loving and trustworthy pet minding services.
Volantio – 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.
What does the Qantas AVRO accelerator have to offer?
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.
John Bush, co-founder of easyshare, said, “We are honoured to have been selected to participate in the Qantas AVRO Accelerator program. This presents a valuable opportunity for us to leverage Qantas’ network and support to accelerate our business growth objectives. We’re excited to use this platform to expand our customer base and help simplify sharehouse living for more Australians.”
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.
