FAQ

Aerospace Xelerated is a 3-month accelerator for early-stage startups striving to advance the future of sustainable aerospace. The programme is open to startups globally and is a Seed to Series A-stage accelerator for technology startups looking to impact and scale in (or establish themselves into) the aerospace industry. This programme is delivered by The Boeing Company and Tawazun Council.

The programme offers a £100k investment from Boeing, a curated curriculum and unrivalled access to Boeing, Tawazun and our programme partners. Cohort 4 will run from January to April 2023 and the programme will have both physical and virtual elements.

We’re looking for exceptional startups actively building Digital Services & Solutions to advance the future of aerospace. We’re especially interested in innovative startups building solutions within the below sector areas:

• Flight & Passenger Journey Optimization: Digital services and solutions applied to the flight journey to explore advancements in Navigation & Flight Planning, Flight Data Monitoring, Analytics, Security, & Safety. Solutions focused on disruption mitigation, improved communications, and the overall passenger experience to enhance the passenger journey.
• Supply Chain Intelligence: Digital services and solutions that provide predictive and prescriptive analytics to improve supply chain intelligence. Services and solutions focused on building supply chain resilience.
• Next Generation Workforce: Digital services and solutions tailored to maximize the talent pipeline in the industry by attracting the right talent. Digital services & solutions centred around retaining talent and staying competitive.
• Operational Efficiency: Digital services and solutions that increase operational efficiency, such as digital factory and data flow management, integration of data systems, or other novel solutions. Other potential areas include solutions targeting improved management of asset/component health, performance optimization, and preventative maintenance.

Applications for the programme are submitted through our website — xelerated.aero. Applications close at midnight BST on the 25th September 2022.

Each cohort is unique. This year Cohort 4 is brought to you by Boeing and Tawazun Council.

If you’d like to become a programme partner or learn more about how to get involved, please contact us.

We are very happy to support businesses and technologies developed in (or for) other industries on the programme. As long as your business and technologies have applications relevant to the aerospace industry, we’d love to chat.

Why not look at the range of industries our portfolio supports? Feel free to contact us if you’d like to discuss if your startup is a good fit for the programme.

The Aerospace Xelerated programme is designed to support the growth of startups – regardless of where they reside. By supporting these innovative early stage technology businesses, the programme aims to bolster the growth, competitiveness, and sustainability of the aerospace industry.

Each Aerospace Xelerated cohort is made up of 8–10 startups.

Please note: the following is subject to change, as the application timeline for the 2023 cohort may change.

Stage 1
Applications are open from 15th August – 25th September 2022 via the programme website, xelerated.aero. All applications will be reviewed by the programme team and Boeing subject matter experts (SMEs). If your startup passes the selection criteria, you may be contacted for follow-up questions.

Stage 2: Long listing
Your submission will be reviewed and compared to the other applications in your category (i.e. Supply Chain Intelligence or Next Generation Workforce) by the programme’s selection committee. The selection committee is made up of members from The Boeing Company, Tawazun Council, the programme team, and the programme’s partners.

You will be notified if you have been long listed on or before Friday 28th October 2022.

Stage 3: Follow-up interviews
Long listed startups may be invited to follow-up conversations with programme stakeholders from The Boeing Company, Tawazun Council, the programme team, and the programme’s partners. You will be notified if you have been shortlisted on or before Friday 11th November 2022.

Stage 4: Selection Days
20 startups will be shortlisted and invited to a virtual pitch on one of our two Selection Days. The virtual Selection Days will be held on 22nd and 23rd November 2022.

The 8–10 successful applicants will then be notified and offered programme places shortly after the interviews (we anticipate within 48 hrs). The programme will start in early January 2023.

Yes, you’ll be able to access your answers after you submit your application. Unfortunately, you will not be able to edit your answers once you have submitted, but we’re happy to receive updated pitch decks or videos if applicable.

We ask that when you apply to the Aerospace Xelerated programme that you do not include any confidential information. Should you progress to the interview stages of the application process, please do not disclose any information that you’re not comfortable sharing with programme stakeholders or that is deemed confidential. Should you progress and be selected to partake in the AX Programme (and accept), The Boeing Company will issue an NDA in order to protect should you divulge confidential information in any conversations; however, we ask that you have contractual paperwork in place prior to entering partnership discussions should confidential information need to be shared.

The application deadline is midnight BST on the 25th September 2022. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept late submissions. If you miss the deadline, we encourage you to sign up to our Aerospace Xelerated newsletter to be the first to hear about future programmes and initiatives.

We expect startups on the cohort to commit approximately 12 hours per week to the programme. We aim to schedule our sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only. We don’t hold mandatory sessions on Mondays and Fridays to ensure a positive balance. There will be weeks off during the 12-week programme.

Note: For the first 2 weeks of the programme, we will need a senior member of the team, responsible for industry sponsor / partner meetings, in attendance. These 2 weeks will require a time commitment of no more than 16 hours.

Parts of the programme will be in person and we will let you know before the end of the year when and where those will take place. Most of the programme will be virtual and held remotely via Zoom.

Yes. A decision-maker (i.e. founder or member of the management team) will need to be able to travel to Abu Dhabi, UAE, for the in-person elements of the programme.

The main language of all communication – written and verbal – will be in English. We will add CC to all of video-based meetings.

The programme does not charge a fee for its support.

The £100k investment is an uncapped SAFE (‘simple agreement for future equity’) with a 20% discount on the next round. Should you be down selected to the top 20, we will share a draft version of the SAFE with you.

No, all startups who are offered and accept a place on the programme will be offered the £100k equity investment from The Boeing Company.

The programme investment process will start once you accept the offer of a programme place, and we anticipate the investment complete and be paid into your business bank account within the first four to six weeks of the programme.

No, you do not have to take the investment to join the programme. If you’d be interested in joining the programme without taking the investment, we’d still be happy to talk to you.

No, there is no stipend. However, your company is free to spend the programme investment how you see fit.

This will depend on the other programme’s structure and workload. If we are notified about a second programme or the possibility of one during the application process, we can work with you and the other accelerator programme team to assess if and how doing both might work.

The possibility of joining (or actually being on another programme) must be disclosed to us before you sign the Aerospace Xelerated programme offer letter and accept a place on our programme.

Yes, over the course of the programme you will be introduced and develop relationships with Boeing, Tawazun Council and programme partners.

Yes, there’s no exclusivity preventing you from working with other aerospace businesses.