Airbus accelerator scouts aerospace startups from East and Southern Africa

Global aerospace accelerator Airbus BizLab, through its #Africa4future initiative, is on the search for two aerospace startups from Southern Africa and East Africa.

Interested startups in Southern Africa and East Africa have until 30 August and 6 September to apply respectively. One startup from each region will be selected.

The global business accelerator wants to empower mobility through aerospace technologies that will help define the aerospace industry in the future. Airbus BizLab will be looking particularly for proposals relating to new technology, processes, business models and new ways of working and thinking.

The focus of the initiative is on startups developing solutions and innovations in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), satellite operations and Imagery, 3D printing, smart sensors and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The two selected aerospace startups will go on a 10-day all expenses paid trip to Europe

The initiative will see African startups compete for a chance to pitch and interact with decision makers, top investors and key influencers on a 10-day all expenses paid trip to Europe in October and November. The final pitch event for Southern African contestants has been scheduled for 22 September in Cape Town and on 26 September in Nairobi for East African contestants.

The Airbus BizLab global accelerator programme was launched in 2015 in Tolouse and now consists of a global network of business accelerators in Germany and India. So far the programme has hosted 29 startups and 27 airbus internal projects.

This however will be the first time that Airbus BizLab is holding a challenge in Africa.

Are you reading this in East Africa? Want to know more? Get more information here.

For more information on how to apply from Southern Africa find out more here.

Featured image: Peter Linehan via Flickr (CC 2.0 BY-SA, resized)