Fueling IAG’s startup accelerator - Hangar 51

Written By Ana Martinez

The Client

IAG is the parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus, LEVEL, IAG Loyalty and IAG Cargo.

The Objective

As part of their innovation strategy, IAG launched a startup accelerator - Hangar 51.

The Solution

Leveraging our network and expertise, for each of the 4 cohorts, our team identified 100+ relevant startups that directly aligned with their strategic goals. We sourced startups with innovative solutions in the following areas of interest:

  • Airport operations and logistics

  • Future of customer interaction

  • Disruption management

  • Future cargo logistics

  • Sustainability

The Outcome

Our efforts directly increase the number of relevant and high performing startup applications which directly led to more successful program outcomes for Hangar 51 and IAG.

Ana Martinez

Ana has extensive experience in corporate innovation. She has helped over 25 Global 1000 corporations from a wide range of industries develop new business strategies using the latest technologies in the market and has also led 70+ partnerships between corporations and startups. Ana has worked with corporate clients such as Nestle, PepsiCo, Volkswagen, Procter & Gamble, JetBlue, Mizuho, BP, Repsol, Nissan, Avis Budget Group, Magna, Renault, Ferguson, Allstate, GrainCorp, Givaudan, BSM, Griffith Foods, AGC, IAG, among others.

As a member of Rabobank’s first Innovation Team, Ana successfully launched Foodbytes, a pitch competition and networking platform that connects the top food and agriculture startups, corporates and investors. With 15 global pitch competitions, 260+ startup pitches and 4700+ attendees, Foodbytes has become the top startup pitch competitions in the food and agriculture industries. She also launched TERRA, a food and agriculture accelerator that brings together the industry’s most disruptive startups and leading corporations to fuel industry innovation and strategic partnerships.

Ana graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a major in Economics. She was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and loves to play golf!

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