The Airbus Bizlab is a global aerospace accelerator bringing together start-ups and Airbus’ own entrepreneurs to transform innovative ideas into valuable businesses more quickly.
Many fledgling aerospace businesses struggle to turn innovative ideas and technologies into commercial reality. Some lack the commercial experience to develop viable business models, others face difficulties accessing customers or going through long certification processes. This slows the pace of innovation. To overcome these hurdles, the Airbus BizLab has developed a “hybrid” concept in order to work efficiently with start-ups and to allow smaller organisations to better understand the needs and ways of working of big groups.
The Airbus BizLab, creates a network of Business Accelerators to provide support to start-ups. It also encourages start-up logic and entrepreneurship internally. It enhances Airbus’s access to the newest ideas, technologies and ways of working in the aerospace sector and beyond.
Airbus employees, accustomed to working in a large company, also learn from entrepreneurs adept at bringing new ideas to the marketplace as rapidly as possible. Airbus provides early-stage projects with wide-ranging support, in the form of a six-month “acceleration programme”. Through these programmes, Airbus BizLab gives access to a large number of coaches, experts and mentors in various domains: technology, legal, finance, marketing & communication; easing prototyping and market access.
The Airbus BizLab welcomes applications for acceleration programmes from entrepreneurs, start-up businesses and Airbus employees. In the last 3 years, the accelerator has incubated 50 startups and 40 internal Airbus projects within the Bizlabs based in Toulouse (France), Hamburg (Germany) and Bangalore (India) which have raised a combined € 19.5 million and more than 1,000 start-ups have interacted with the BizLab. During the first season in Madrid, they have incubated 5 startups (Recogn.ai, Daisho, Urban Data Eye, Botslovers and Unblur) and 3 internal projects (Fly-up, Back to Fly and Chainbus).
THE PROGRAM
This program has a duration of 6 months, and is divided into 3 phases:
- First phase: analysis of business interest and market, with the consequent search for the largest possible customer acquisition.
- Second phase: analysis of proposals.
- Third phase: analysis of the business model and set up for startups and intra-entrepreneurs to work effectively.
In addition to the program, BizLab also offers €50,000 to implement a proof of concept, and payment is subject to the successful delivery of a prototype, according to a specific use case defined with Airbus, with a business success rate of 42%.
PARTICIPATE
The registration period starts on May 7, 2019 and ends on July 7. Applications can be submitted through its website or through the specific campaign.
The Bootcamp Selection of the Madrid Campus will take place on 4 and 5 of September. Then, response of the selection take place on 13 of September and the start of the season on 14 of October.