Active engagement with startups is a viable path forward for airlines to foster innovation.
When we speak of engagement, we’re not talking about the startup meetups and non-sense pitch competitions that people brag about on LinkedIn.
Rather, we are referring to actual startup investments which can open up a range of growth bets that could transform the way airlines transport passengers from A to B and service them along the door-to-door traveler journey, in turn bettering customer experiences and offering up new revenue opportunities.
Therefore, we have been tracking startups investments by airlines rigorously since 2017.
Find below the latest update on the most active airline investors (based on the size of their startup portfolio) and scroll further down to better understand where the leading startup-oriented airlines have been placing their innovation bets.
| # | Airline | Portfolio (#) | Startups | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | JetBlue | 32 | Lacuna, Transparent, Universal Hydrogen, 3victors, i6 Group, Travelstride, SAM Email, Bizly, Node, Volantio, Lumo, Joby Aviation, Redeam, Tomorrow.io, FLYR Labs, Filament, Betterez, Claire, Mozio, Zunum Aero, CoinFlip, Recharge Labs, JSX, Gladly, Skyhour, Unicobag, Slice Labs, Shape Security, Miles, Beacon AI, NLX , TurnKey |
| 2 |  | KLM* | 19 | RazorSecure, Grasp Innovations, Aiir Innovations, Robin, Ampyx Power, C Teleport, Synple, Undagrid, We4Sea, Mobian, ViriCiti, Plotwise, SupplyStack, Multi Pilot Simulations, Versa, MI Airline, Eye On Air, Snocom, Casper |
| 3 |  | Qantas Airways | 15 | TripADeal, Mad Paws, Volantio, Meeco, Leezair, Data Republic, Landmarks ID, Travelshoot, Pawshake, easyshare, LoanDolphin, Aeroster, Coverhero, Birch, Boozebud |
| 4 |  | United Airlines | 12 | Cemvita Factory, Alder Fuels, Heart Aerospace, Journera, GetThere (GTHR), Fulcrum Bioenergy, BCKSTGR, Clear Secure, 1PointFive, Archer Aviation, Avolar, ZeroAvia |
| 5 |  | AirAsia | 11 | Amity, RedTix, Vidi, RedBox Logistics, Teleport Commerce, Ourshop, ROKKI, travel360, BigPay, BIG Loyalty, Big Data for Humans |
| 6 |  | IAG | 11 | i6 Group, LanzaJet, ZeroAvia, Assaia, deepair/Cirravia, Volantio, Zamna, Esplorio, Importwise, Monese, Freightos |
| 7 |  | El Al Airlines | 9 | shopnfly, FarePlace, Claire, NSLComm, Routier, AeroCRS, Quicklizard, Splitty Travel, SAM Email |
| 8 |  | easyJet** | 8 | LuckyTrip, WeSki, Dohop, Flio, car&away, Flightsayer (Lumo), FetchyFox, TrustedHousesitters |
| 9 |  | UPS Cargo Aviation | 8 | Fleet Logistics, Sudu, Optoro, Ally Commerce, Deliv, eHatchery, Inxeption, ShopRunner |
| 10 |  | All Nippon Airways | 7 | Astroscale, Avatar-in, FiNC, Huber, PD Aerospace, Star Flyer, LanzaTech |
* KLM investments include those through the Mainport Innovation Funds I & II
** easyJet investments include startups they work with through Founders Factory
Disclaimer: Our ranking is purely based on investments in startups and does not include joint ventures, private equity deals, or traditional M&A activity.
If you’re an investor or industry expert and are aware of an airline startup investment that we missed, please get in touch with us via newsletter@tnmt.com
The TNMT Airline Investment Dashboard
For a better understanding of which types of startups attract most of the interest of leading carriers, check out our Airline Investment Dashboard.
This content is for informational purposes only and should not be used as investment advice.
